A Never Ending Paradox
by russianroulette10
Summary: Jacob imprints on a new face of La Push causing the pack to be pulled into a world of organized crime. Jacob/OC. Paul/Rachel.
1. Chapter 1: Take It or Leave It

This story begins in the middle of Breaking Dawn, just as Bella is returning from her honeymoon. Lexi Cane travels across country to La Push after her cousin was murdered by a gang in New Jersey. She searches for her biological mother who is supposedly a member of the Quileute tribe.

This is rated mature for language, violence (it organized crime, of course there is violence), and sexual content.

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Take it Or Leave it<strong>

I grumbled as I held the ruined newspaper over my head while I watched the water droplets fall to the oil-ridden puddles below. Like blood in water, the various colors swirled in the puddle. The September torrential downpour was unexpected and unwelcomed. The rain was coming down in sheets relentlessly, preventing me from continuing the seemingly endless drive to La Push. Even though I have been driving for over two years now, I would never be able to see the road in this weather. It felt like an omnipotent being was watching from above laughing. This slushy downpour was just another obstacle Mother Nature had put in my way. Should I have taken the multiple bad omens into consideration?

Maybe it wasn't meant to be? After my baby had overheated in Rapid City I shook that off as bad luck. I _always_ made sure she had the finest antifreeze, oil, steering fluid, and gasoline to make her happy. I cursed at the grey, ominous skies of South Dakota as my baby coughed and choked on the side of the highway. In Wyoming, a damned stripped feline bolted in front of my baby forcing me to swerve onto the curb, which resulted in a blown out tire. The four-legged furball had added two freaking days to a five day long drive.

I felt nauseated after spending two hundred dollars on a new tire. The nausea lingered in the pit of my stomach still as I lounged on top of the tan blankets in the backseat. I have never had much money saved, so the two Benjamins I had to fork over placed a damper in pockets. I now made up for it by sleeping in my precious car. The 1967 Chevy Impala belonged to my father—well adopted father. We had built it together as a father-daughter project. He paid for all the parts, so I consider it mostly his car. My most fond memories of him are in our garage back in New Hampshire building this black beauty.

I smiled as I admired the interior of my most prized possession sitting in the parking lot of this gas station in Olympia. I sighed and I could see my breath, like a thick cloud escaping at my heavy exhale. Even though it was almost midnight the interior of the car was well lit by the streetlights as well as the reflection the light from the puddles surrounding. I decided to stop in Olympia for several reasons. First of all, the fact that it was nearly midnight and I was dead on my feet. Secondly, this apocalyptic weather was deterrent enough. I still had a significant drive ahead, which I shouldn't be doing in the dead of night in the middle of a storm. I suppressed the negative emotions stirring inside my stomach by reminding myself that I only had a three hour drive ahead of me tomorrow.

The annoyance turned into excitement as I mumbled to myself, "Tomorrow, you'll be in La Push."

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><p>I gripped the steering wheel tightly feeling the vibrations of the engine as I drove down the streets of La Push. I couldn't control the fluttering excitement in my stomach. As far as I know, my biological mother is Quileute. I came to Washington in hopes of finding her, and if I didn't, at least I got to see where she grew up. Maybe I would meet new people, perhaps even those she once knew.<p>

I had nothing to lose.

I focused on my surroundings. La Push was _tiny_—consisting of a general store, a museum, a community center, a school, and a couple dozen houses. I pulled into the store's parking lot and got out. I double checked the handle, making sure I locked the car before I entered the store—all my clothes were in that car, not to mention the car was also my place of residence. I made an attempt to swallow the lump in my throat as my eyes darted over to the bored cashier leaning over the checkout counter. It was eleven in the morning on a Friday, so there weren't many customers.

I debated on how I would even start the conversation. _'Hey, I'm looking for my mom. I've never met her and I don't know her real name, but I was hoping you might have!'_

Even in my head, I felt stupid thinking about it.

I didn't know where to start. I couldn't ask my adopted family because there simply wasn't anyone left who would know.

My adoptive mother died from cancer when she was in her late 40's, I happened to be seven at the time. My life had felt like someone had shaken it like a snow globe—absolute chaos ensued. My adopted father, devastated by her passing, picked up everything we owned and moved to New Hampshire. Jeanine— I thank any omnipotent-being that she is not related to me by blood— was absolutely hysterical because she was thirteen at the time. Unlike me, she had numerous amounts of friends that she was going to have to leave behind. Jeanine is now married since last month and is completely enthralled in her new husband. I swear that it's like I never existed to her.

I shook my head and figured to get a few essentials and mull over the future conversation with the cashier.

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><p>I sighed in frustration at the memory in the store. My heart had been pounding in my chest like a jackhammer from the adrenaline pulsing through my body. I remembered the doubt and uncertainty that churned in my head. What if my mother no longer lived in La Push? What would I do if my mother was dead? I had pushed those thoughts out of my mind and built up the courage to walk over to the cashier. As she scanned in the items I was purchasing my face grew hot and I had held my breath. I paid for my groceries and walked out of the store without saying a single word.<p>

Now, my toes were buried in the wet, black sand on the beach as I stared out at the ocean. The water rushed by me and moistened the bottom of my jeans which I had rolled up to my knees. I looked at my legs in disgust. I hadn't shaved them in a week and now it looked like my legs belonged to a yeti, instead of a teenage girl. I took a "bath" yesterday (that is if a bath is defined as washing up in a stream at a park in Eastern Washington). The water was cold though, and I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. Now, I would wait until no one was around before I pulled out my shampoo and started to bathe in the ocean. It was overcast today, so there weren't very many people around. I grabbed a plastic bag with my shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, towel and a change of clothes then I took off as far as I could down the beach.

Once I was satisfied that everyone on the beach was too far away to realize what I was doing, I stripped down to my bra and underwear. I was already shivering and I hadn't gotten into the water. I mentally prepared myself for the freezing bath ahead of me. One… two… three! I took off into the water with my plastic bag. I allowed myself to squeal like a little girl until the water was up to my shoulders. My hands violently shook as I snapped open the lid of the shampoo and my teeth chattered together as I lathered the shampoo into my hair. By the time I massaged the conditioner into my jet black hair, my hands were no longer working properly because they had become stiff from the cold water. I was so relieved once I got most of the conditioner out of my hair. I dunked my head under the waves for the last time and when I resurfaced I realized I had an audience.

Two extremely burly, shirtless Quileute men stood on the beach probably ten feet away from my stuff.

_Shit._

I knew that I wasn't going to last another minute in the freezing Pacific water, so waiting for them to go away wasn't an option I was willing to pursue. I had plenty of experience back home with pompous, cocky men, enough to know that any show of weakness was only going to make this situation worse. If I were to try to cover myself up, it would display my discomfort and only result in trouble.

New Jersey was where I had called home until recently. I had been staying with my adopted mother's nephew, Frankie. He was the closest thing I've had to a brother—he took me with him pretty much wherever he went, despite the fact he was older than me. Because of Frankie, the majority of people I hung out with were guys his age. Most of them were good guys; however, they were still guys.

Ignoring the glares they were directing toward me, I made my way back to my pile of stuff lying in the sand. I squeezed the salty ocean water from my hair as I walked toward the sandy beach. My heart was fluttering as if I had just sprinted a half mile as I gauged their reaction. I concentrated on controlling my shivering and chattering teeth as I wiped the sand off my towel. The two men stood like statues ten feet from me with their arms crossed as if they were offended with my actions.

My hands and feet were numb while that cold burning sensation radiated through my arms and legs. I made a point by glaring back at the two giants while I squeezed the water out of my hair with my towel, trying to see if I could induce any reaction from them. I was very glad that I was wearing boy shorts and a bra, both of which covered more than most bikinis.

I picked up a pair of jeans and slipped them on while mentally preparing for what I was about to do. I turned so I faced toward the choppy Pacific waters, showing my back to them said that I didn't consider them a threat— which was a bluff. I was scared out of my mind. I didn't care if they took my stuff or hit on me, what I was concerned about was my physical safety. I had no idea what their intentions were and they each had a hundred pounds on me.

I turned my head towards the cliffs on my left so I could watch them in my peripheral. They still hadn't moved. I pulled my shirt over my head and slipped into my jacket. I gathered my things in my arms, but before I headed back toward the more populated portion of the beach I stared back at the two unmoving men for several seconds.

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><p>I fell asleep wrapped in several blankets in the backseat of the impala. I had been exhausted after getting less than five hours of sleep every night since I took off from the East Coast last wee<p>

Light laughter outside my window had woken me from my slumber, the sun was low over the horizon and my stomach rumbled loudly. I grumbled as I rubbed my eyes and climbed out of my car. The evening air was like a slap in the face after being wrapped in a warm blanket in my car. There were crowds of teenagers in the parking lot of the beach who were unloading things from their cars. I noticed that my impala stood out near all their vehicles. I was glad that my car was really dusty after the cross country trip, so that it stood out a little less than it would have two weeks ago when I last waxed it.

I was glad that I didn't stand out from these teenagers being eighteen myself since last month. It looks like they were having some sort of beach party. There were enough of them that I was confident that my presence wouldn't be questioned. Immediately, my eyes zeroed in on the copious amount of food that people were carrying toward the beach. There was no way I could pass up the chance of free food. I spotted a girl trying to unload a foldable table from the back of a van all by herself. I rushed towards her.

"Here, let me help you." I said as I grabbed onto the table and together we unloaded the table with ease.

"Thanks." The girl blushed as she pushed her glasses up toward the bridge of her nose.

"You're welcome." I smiled warmly at the girl.

I took in the contents of the van, which was littered with other tables and bags with unknown contents.

"Do you need any help with this stuff?" I asked politely.

I was hoping to gain a friend so that I wouldn't be completely out of place in the party.

"Sure," the girl smiled, "Thanks!"

I found a place to sit near the bonfire with an overflowing plate of food. I was surrounded by a bunch of white people. I wondered to myself where all these teenagers came from. I munched happily on a hot dog. Sometimes people would come over and talk to me mostly to ask me if I was Quileute. I would reply with a 'Yes', feeling a bit…weird… as I did so. I never had someone ask me that before. I made small talk with these teens and overheard enough conversations to figure out that these were high school kinds from a small neighboring town. Maybe I could check out this town tomorrow and look for a job. I also needed to fill up my impala on gas. I learned that it was about a thirty minute drive back to this town. It wasn't like I was going to find a job here in La Push. Where would I work?

The next day I didn't go to town because I realized that I didn't really know where it was. Also, I slept in 'til noon. The bonfire had gone until one a.m. I had stayed up talking to a guy who gave me his phone number, which was ridiculous because I didn't own a cell phone. The slip of paper with the boy's number was going to find a trash can soon. So that Saturday afternoon I walked around La Push aimlessly. During my walk, I found a restaurant on the edge of the town right next to the water. Other than that, my day was extremely uneventful. I had watched the sun set from inside my car a little after nine o'clock. I would have been out on the beach but there was another bonfire down the beach, where a bunch of Quileute people had gathered. I had a feeling that I wasn't welcome to this one. There were about twenty people at this gathering and my presence would definitely be noticed…

Tap…Tap, tap, tap… tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…

I groaned and squinted because of the bright morning light. Someone was tapping on my window. I recognized him. He was one of the buff Quileute guys at the beach on Friday.

"Open the door." The man's statement was muffled through the glass. He had an authoritative tone in his voice. The vibe I was getting off him was clear:

_Don't fuck with me._

I felt a scowl form on my face. _Like hell I was opening the door_.

I shook my head.

He sighed in frustration.

"What are you doing here?" He asked through the glass.

I sighed and threw my blankets off and opened the opposing door. I climbed out of the car cautiously, making sure that he didn't move. This way we would at least have something between us if he decided to attack me. I could jump back in and lock it if necessary.

"I'm looking for my biological mother. My adopted father said she was Quileute and I might find her here." I made a face, because I didn't have much to go off of, "He just said that she had me when she was young, so she put me up for adoption."

The man was quiet for a couple seconds before he said anything, "I know someone who might be able to help…" He paused, "…Billy Black, he's our chief. If anyone knew who your mother was, it'd be him."

He gave me directions to the Black's house, which was less than a ten minute walk from the beach.

"Good luck," He threw back over his shoulder as he began to walk away, "I hope you find what you're looking for."

His quick movements caught my eye.

I wouldn't call it a hobby, more of a fascination that I liked to watch the way people moved. Frankie and his group of friends used to take me to the mall on Fridays after school. I absolutely loved it there, but not for the clothes or handbags. I would never be able to afford any of it. A lot of different people go to the mall, some people wanted to be there, some people didn't. When I first started hanging with the group— I hated it. It was always crowded with strange people and if I wasn't careful, being vertically challenged at the time, I would get trampled.

The guys liked it because that's where the girls went.

After spending a couple months, sitting bored in front of the Cinnabon every Friday after school, I began to watch the people walk past. You could find out a lot about a person by the way they walk, how they hold themselves, and their posture. The way this Quileute moved was indescribable.

Like nothing I'd ever seen before.

His body turned fluidly, almost like he was walking on the air. I watched him closely as he effortlessly moved toward the tree line. There was no way to explain it.

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><p>In less than ten minutes I was standing in front of the door of the Black's house. I was taking deep breaths as if that was going to calm my nerves. I finally built up the courage to knock on the front door. I didn't have to wait long before an older gentleman in a wheelchair open the door.<p>

"Hello… uh, my name is Lexi Cane. I was… um, I was looking for Billy Black?" It came out more like a question than a statement.

"Well you're speaking with him." He gave me a big smile before he continued, "How can I help you, Lexi?"

I immediately felt more relaxed in this man's presence and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Well… I was wondering if you could help me find my mother. She… um, she gave me up for adoption and I don't have very much information to look for her myself."

"Lexi, why don't you come inside and tell me what you do know and we'll start from there." He smiled before he wheeled himself around into the house.

I followed him inside and closed the front door behind me. He went into the kitchen where a half eaten piece of toast was laying on a plate on the table.

"Would you like any coffee or water, Lexi?" he asked politely as he motioned for me to sit down.

"Could I have some water?" I smiled as I took a seat at the table. Should be calling him Mr. Black or Billy?

He handed me a glass of water, "So, what do you know about your mother?"

"My father said that she was living in La Push when I was born and he was pretty sure she grew up here too. He said that she was Quileute. She had me when she was sixteen or seventeen. So we figured that she was born in 1972 or 1973… so she'd be in her mid-thirties now."

"Uhuh." Billy nodded his head, "Well I'll—"

At that moment someone came bursting through the door, stopping Billy Black mid-sentence. I turned around to see who had come in the door.

"Dad, I can't believe that she's—"

I was staring back at yet another shirtless, muscular Quileute man. He had stopped his sentence abruptly and was now standing less than five feet from me. My eyes scanned up to the khaki shorts and over his perfectly sculpted body.

My eyes locked with his dark brown ones and I couldn't help but gasp. I couldn't shake the sensation spreading through my body which started in my chest and radiated down my arms and legs to the tips of my fingers and toes. The sensation had left goose bumps along my arms and neck.

He looked like a deer caught in the headlights unable to move, unable to breath. It felt like minutes had passed by, when it was actually just mere seconds. My stomach did a flip and my heart was fluttering rapidly against my ribs.

_Who was this man? What was happening to me?_

His expression had changed from shock to awe. I would image it as a blind man seeing the world for the first time… not just that… it was the awe that a blind man would be experiencing if he saw the sunrise for the first time in his life. Then, he abruptly fell to his knees.

I gasped and unglued myself from my seat and jumped to his side. I was sure that he was just about to keel over. I knelt in front of him and grabbed his head in my hands, unintentionally running my fingers through his silky hair. His dark, smooth hair was tangled around my fingers and I could feel the immense heat radiating from his skin. It was like I was sitting next to the fireplace back in New Hampshire. The image of me sitting on my dad's lap while he read to me flashed before my eyes. I shook that memory away.

This man obviously had a fever. I remembered from my Health Ed class in high school that high fevers often resulted in hallucinations. This beautiful man could be very ill.

"Mr. Black!" I gasped as I attempted to look back at the old man, but I couldn't turn my head. The ill man had mimicked my actions and threaded his fingers through my jet black hair. I sat on my knees as I was unable to let my mind grasp onto the situation. The man with the fever was panting—short shallow breaths as his eyes locked onto mine.

"It's you…" he whispered hoarsely, "…I don't believe it…"

I had no idea what he was talking about but I never met this guy in my life, so he was obviously sick or something.

"Mr. Black! He's burning up." I shouted with impatience. Why wasn't Mr. Black doing anything?

My shouting seemed to have upset the guy because the admiration on his face quickly became skewed to pain and anger.

"No." He growled through his teeth and he shook his head furiously.

Faster than a blink of an eye he jerked himself from my grasp and pulled himself towards the door he had just came through.

"This can't be happening." He shook his head in denial.

All I could do was stare in shock while I sat on the kitchen floor as the guy darted to the door. He raced towards the woods lining the Black's property like a bat out of hell. The door still ajar from his fleeting escape.

What just happened here? I turned back to Billy Black who sat in his wheelchair, expressionless like a champion poker player. We didn't sit there for long before Billy spoke up.

"You want a sandwich?" he asked like nothing had happened.

I was about to yell at him, '_What? Are you asking me if I want a sandwich? Did you see what just happened?' _But then I remembered that I was poor as dirt and I lived in my car. Whenever an opportunity arose before me- I'd take it.

So I smiled, "Yeah…I'd love one."

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><p><strong>What do you think?<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: A Hasty Generalization

Warning: There is strong language in this chapter. Jacob's character is much more vulgar.

Thank you to those of you who did review. Very much appreciated. :)

More reviews please!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2- A <strong>**Hasty Generalization**

Every day that passed I waited for the news.

I waited for Charlie Swan's police cruiser to pull up to my house. I waited for the phone to ring.

I waited for the news that she had died.

But of course she wouldn't be dead dead. Her heart may have stopped beating, but she was still above ground breathing… talking. I would never again hear that sweet sound of her heart beating. Maybe it had stopped beating… maybe once she became one of _them…_ it would be easier. She would no longer be worth fighting for and I would no longer have this anxiety building in my chest. I could never look in those big brown eyes again—no, they would be blood red.

Maybe then I could _pretend_ that she was dead dead.

I stared at white, pasty ceiling in my bedroom and my bed sheets were thrown angrily on the floor. It was something I no longer needed because of my abnormally high body temperature. I had patrol in less than an hour and I should be getting some sleeping right now, but it was impossible. Whenever I would lie down on my bed and close my eyes I would start thinking about her. It was driving me insane. Not just that, it was driving the pack insane, having to listen to my obsessive thoughts over Bella. Sometimes Leah would shout at me that it was better when I wasn't here, that is when I had run away after the fight with the newborns. Sometimes I thought she had a point. But, I couldn't run away again. I was just running from my problems, which didn't solve anything. If the 'past' me had seen what the 'current' me had done, he would have spewed out numerous insults and gotten in my face. If I were to run away like a fucking coward how would I be any different than the leech? Running from his problems by leaving Bella behind after her eighteenth birthday without any way to fend for herself. Psh. Pathetic coward pretty much sums it up.

I couldn't believe that she hasn't had her precious leech of a husband fake her death yet so she can join him in their little fucked up world. God Damn! I needed to run off some of these pent up feelings. Better yet, I needed to sink my teeth into something- preferably a bloodsucker.

So I got out of bed and decided to start my patrol early. I'm sure Paul will appreciate it, especially since the little fucker imprinted on my sister two days ago. I phased once I was outside and I had gotten my shorts in the tie around my ankle. It was a small relief to feel the moist dirt of the forest floor underneath my paws. The weather has been strange recently. There was a heavy downpour last night, which also didn't help me get any sleep. The rain hit the roof- it just didn't know how to stop or at least loosen up a little. Hey, doesn't that sound like someone I know?

That was my problem… I didn't know when to stop… I didn't know how to stop…loving her.

After my patrol I quickly rushed back towards the house. My legs carried me back towards my house and hopefully some food. I hope Paul didn't eat all the lunch meat because I hadn't eaten in over twelve hours, which for a wolf shape shifter, should go in the Guinness Book of World Records. Fuck! Was I hungry. I bounded up the peeling front steps eager to make myself a sandwich and eager to ask my dad if he heard anything from Charlie.

"Dad, I can't believe that she's—"

WHAM! I would have thought I had run straight into a thick, steel wall, but I knew this house better than the back of my hand.

No. The first thing that threw me off was the smell. It was like freshly baked cinnamon bread—full of mouthwatering spices. I inhaled the wonderful scent and for some reason it reminded me of the way our house would smell after my mom had just baked. There also was that hint of old car smell. Ahh, I could recognize that smell anywhere. Gasoline and leather. Definitely leather. I could feel the drool run down my chin.

That's when I saw her. There she sat like a goddess in my kitchen. She was staring at me with deep chocolate eyes. I was already drowning in them and my whole world was already spinning out of my grasp. Those eyes were now the whole reason behind living. Her russet skin glowed like a beacon which sole purpose was to draw me in like a mouth to the flame. Her hair. Oh man, that hair had shine like a freshly waxed car. It was long, sleek jet black hair that fell over her shoulders and stopped between her shoulder blades. She was tall and thin; she could definitely use some extra helpings of steaks and potatoes. I'd make sure of it.

She was my imprint and she has graced me with her presence.

Oh man! I stared into her deep, dark eyes as she got out of her chair. I was frozen in the spot as she came closer to me. My breathing was spiraling out of my control the closer she got to me. My heart was racing as fast as a racehorse, desperate to reach the finish line. My breath caught in my throat as she lifted her hands up towards my head. I don't know at what point I had fallen to my knees, but I suddenly became extremely aware of my body. It was like pure, blissful torture as my imprint's fingers slid through my hair. Like a lifeline she had stopped the spinning. The sensation of her touch brought chills to my one-oh-eight body temperature. I shivered as the sensation traveled down my spine to the tips of my toes. It was like someone had brought the defibrillator to my chest and sent a shock through my broken heart.

She was my anchor, my lifeline, my imprint. She was mine!

_She meant everything_.

I longed to touch her. I lifted my hands to thread my fingers through that sleek, smooth hair and just as I imagined, it was like I was running my hands through the finest silk on earth. It felt like I was running my hands through a pure mountain stream, except warmer. Her hair was as smooth as water, yet it smelled like cinnamon and nutmeg—like a freshly made pie. The sensation I had as I touched her beautiful skin made me feel so alive. Did she feel that heart-warming sensation like I had?

I couldn't get my throat to function. It was like I had never used it before, until now. "It's you…", _my imprint_, "…I don't believe it…"

"Mr. Black! He's burning up."

The distress in my imprint's voice was like a slap in the face. It was like someone threw a bucket of ice cold water over me. It was sobering.

What the fuck? Did I really just imprint?

_No shit! _My self-conscious screamed at me.

Out of sheer panic I started to back away from this source insanity, my…_ Arg!_... my imprint!

The wolf inside me was pining in the presence of his newly discovered mate. He was pacing back and forth just like the caged animal he is—desperate to break free from its lack of freedom. He wanted me to scoop her up and run far away where no one could ever hurt her… somewhere where we could be together and alone.

"No!"

I tried to push away the instinct to protect my mate. I physically pushed the woman away from me causing my wolf to growl in frustration when her hands were no longer on my body.

"This can't be happening." I shook my head in denial.

It was only months ago that I swore to the woman who I believed to be the love of my life that I would never imprint. Was all of this predetermined? Did I have no choice in the matter? Even _if I had gotten the girl_ of my dreams… even _if I had been her choice_ instead of that bloodsucker… it would have been tossed to the curb by none other than fate.

Well… FUCK YOU, FATE!

I needed to get out of here! Away from my new infatuation who poisoned my thoughts. I didn't allow myself to look directly into the hypnotizing eyes of my imprint as a ran… like a fucking coward…. toward the front door, nearly taking it off its hinges in the process.

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><p>I sat in the Black's kitchen munching on my ham sandwich while Billy was finishing his toast. Neither of us had said a word since I thanked him for the sandwich. I certainly didn't want to talk about what had happened with the mentally unstable, yet absolutely gorgeous man from before. Since Billy Black wasn't too concerned about it, I figured that it would be best if I avoided the subject as long as I could. Maybe it was better that I didn't know the guy—he seemed like he had way too many problems. So… I figured that I would leave once I finished my sandwich. Hopefully Billy could help me find my biological mother. I wasn't sure really what I was looking for from my birth mother. Maybe it was an opportunity to have another chance to have a family…to have a place in this world? I don't know. It would be nice to have someone waiting for me to come home from work (or perhaps school). Hell, it would be nice to have a roof over my head again.<p>

Just as I finished that thought, I heard footsteps up the front porch of the Black's house. I felt my shoulders stiffen. I don't think I was ready for another visitor and I certainly wasn't ready to see that beautiful man's face again. I could still remember the look of awe on his face which quickly became disgust and anger. Still, he was absolutely beautiful and my reaction to him was anything but appropriate—maybe it was best if I avoided being in his presence. Who knows what I might do.

My heart fluttered like a butterfly's wings as the visitor stopped once he stepped through the open door. My stomach was twisted in knots and I swallowed the food in my mouth – which was quickly becoming dry like sawdust. I hesitantly turned around in my seat to see who had just walked through the door. I was relieved that it wasn't who I thought it was, but my relief was short-lived. There were two more shirtless Quileute men with steel abs gleaming at me like I had just told them that they'd won the lottery. I wanted to ask _'What the hell are you looking at'_, but I held my tongue. The muscles of my jaw flexed painfully as I ground my teeth together. The two men continued to stare at me. Seriously… I had enough of these shirtless, muscular, tan Quileute men…wait… Did I really just say that?

In my life back in Newark, New Jersey after I no longer could live with my adopted father (yeah… it's a long story), the male species wasn't interested in me. It seems on the reservation it was a different story. Was tail in La Push really that sparse that these gorgeous men were desperate enough to swarm around me like bees and honey? I'm not sure I liked the attention.

"Lexi, this is Quil…" he pointed to the man who face was more round and inviting than the other's, he had longer hair and a friendly smile, "…and Embry." Embry had much sharper features and looked like he could have girls fawning for him left and right with just one wink of those dazzling dark eyes.

However, my reaction to these men was infinitesimal—not just infinitesimal, but there was no comparison to the drool worthy bipolar man who came in before.

"Hi, Lexi." Quil gave me a friendly smile, "It's nice to meet you."

I gave him a suspicious glare with narrowed eyes while I pursed my lips. Was this a trick? So far, Quil wasn't like the other shirtless men in La Push, he seemed… friendly… inviting, instead of the cold and mysterious men on the beach. He also wasn't mentally unstable like the gorgeous man that came in before him. So, I was hesitant on whether I could trust my judgment of him because of my past experiences with Quileute men. He was only slightly taken aback by my reaction to him as he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Billy Black followed Embry outside while Quil and myself were left to linger in the kitchen. Quil started to prepare himself a sandwich as I carefully took another bite of mine. I watched Quil move gracefully through the kitchen, he moved with grace that didn't fit a man of his size. It was almost…inhuman. He leaned up against the counter as he took a rather large bite from his sandwich.

"So I hear you're looking for your mom." Quil stated as he picked some bad lettuce from his sandwich, "I'm sure Billy will be able to help you find her."

How did he know that? The guy from the beach must have told him because besides Billy, he was the only one I told.

"Yeah," I replied.

"So…" He paused, "…like you were adopted then?"

"Yeah."

He waited for me to further explain, but when I didn't he shrugged his shoulders and took another gigantic bite of his sandwich. Embry and Billy came back into the house; I assume that they went outside to have a private conversation.

"Lexi, Embry tells me that you're currently…" Billy took a second to gather his thoughts, "… without accommodations."

I sent Embry a deadly stare. Why was that any of his business? So what if I was sleeping in my car?

"So I suggested that you stay with Sam and his fiancée, Emily. That is, until we find your mother."

Immediately I felt a twinge of anger. I didn't need a handout. I was perfectly fine living in my car. Who was Sam? I certainly wasn't jumping for joy at the idea of someone named Sam. The Sam I knew happened to be my cousin's best friend. Just thinking about my cousin and… Sam made my stomach churn with nausea. I shook that thought from my head. It was irrational of me to feel anger towards _this_ Sam, who I have never met.

I guess my displeasure was shown on my face because Billy had to feed me an excuse, "Here on my reservation we treat its members like family—you are family, Lexi."

"I don't want to be a burden." I argued.

Billy put his hand up as he shook his head, "No, family is a first priority in La Push. You are definitely _not _a burden."

Damn. How could you say no to Billy? I feel like I would be insulting him if I were to decline his offer again. I sure hoped this Sam and his fiancée were just as inviting as him.

"Um…" I pulled at my fingers anxiously, "…I don't know what to say."

"That is enough," Billy smiled, "…now get out of here before my son comes back."

Huh? His son? Oh, right, Mr. Sex-On-a-Stick.

Embry and Quil walked me back to my impala, and like most men, they didn't hesitate to comment on my fine taste in cars. As we drove to Sam and Emily's they had a healthy debate on whether the '69 Camaro was better than the '66 Mustang. I don't know, it was a close call… I hadn't made my decision yet, the drive was too short and once we had arrived Embry and Quil didn't stay for long. They stayed long enough to introduce me to Emily.

"Just don't stare." Embry whispered as we walked up the steps to Sam's house.

"Why would I stare?" I asked in a hushed voice as Quil opened the front door.

Emily was wiping down the kitchen counters with some sort of citrus smelling cleaning agent. The house smelled wonderful. It was nearly noon and she must have been making some sort of dish for lunch because the entire kitchen smelled like tomato sauce, grilled onions, and cheesy goodness. She turned around once she heard the front door close.

I immediately realized what Embry was talking about. Emily had three long scars running across her face. It was a shame because you could see that she had a certain exquisite beauty to her features that were now overshadowed by the scars. I briefly wondered what had happened to cause them.

"Oh, hey boys, why don't you wash up," she suggested, "Lunch is almost ready."

Both Quil and Embry groaned, "Sorry, Emily, but Sam says that we have patrol at noon."

"Oh, that's too bad." She stuck out her bottom lip, "Well you can take some of the garlic bread." She handed them a basket and they greedily took it with widen eyes. Then Emily turned towards me with a heartwarming smile, "Who is this?"

"Oh this is Jake's—" Quil started to speak with his mouth full, but stopped abruptly with eyes as wide as quarters. He swallowed his food. "Um, I mean…This is Lexi. She'll be staying on the rez for a while… She's looking for her mother who is Quileute."

"Hello, Lexi." Emily smiled sweetly as she pulled me into a hug.

After Quil and Embry left, Emily and I really hit it off. She was the sweetest person I had ever met. We talked a lot about her Sam. Apparently they weren't getting married 'til next year, but judging on how excited she was about it, you'd think she was getting married in a couple weeks. We talked briefly about my life back home… briefly. I guess she could tell that I wasn't too keen on the subject. I told her about my dad and his condition. He had dementia. He had been diagnosed when I was about twelve and his condition progressed slowly. At first, he would forget simple 'everyday' stuff—like misplacing the car keys, forgetting to pick up my sister and I from school, et cetera. Once I became fifteen and my sister was nineteen (she already left for college) my father was put into an adult care program. Then it was agreed that I would go stay with my aunt and cousin back in New Jersey.

She could tell that I had gotten upset after we spoke about the subject of my family back east, so she suggested that I take a "nice hot bath", because that's what she did when she was upset. I agreed to take a shower. It was like bad breath I guess—if someone offers you one you should take it just in case. The last time I had a hot shower was more than a week ago at my sister's house. I could feel the anticipation building as I undressed in Emily's bathroom. I stepped into the tub and turned the water on. I tested the water with the tips of my fingers, making sure the water was up to temperature before I turned the shower on. Once the hot water hit my body, it was like heaven. The hot beads of water ran down my naked back and soaked my hair. My back muscles ached from sleeping in the backseat of my car for the past week. But, my first priority was shaving my legs, just the sight of them made me scowl. I can't believe I let them get to this point. It was disgusting.

I shaved, I shampooed and conditioned my hair, and finally lathered the body wash on my skin. Once I had gotten all the soapy suds off of me, I turned off the water and grabbed my towel from off of the lid of the toilet. I wrapped the soft towel around my frame as I stepped out of the tub and opened my bag that I had set next to the door. The first thing I saw was Frankie's grey sweatshirt folded on top. Frankie was my cousin (again, he wasn't really my cousin… just my adopted mother's nephew), but I really considered him my older brother. I had moved to my Aunt's and his house after my dad could no longer take care of me. Frankie had been a year older than me so I was able to go to the same school as him. We didn't live in a "safe" neighborhood and I had been living in the suburbs my whole life. Frankie taught me the ropes to surviving on the street. His mom worked three jobs (being a single parent), she wanted the best for her son and she had been saving up for his college fund. I thought it was ridiculous because Frankie barely ever saw his mom, so neither did I. I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard the front door close and a muffled deep voice. That must be Emily's fiancé, Sam. I quickly got dressed and opened the bathroom door to meet him.

Huh. So Sam was that strange guy from the beach, the same that tapped on my window to wake me up. This was kind of awkward… I guess I should be grateful to him because without his advice I would have never met Billy Black thus no closer to finding my mother. I also wouldn't have a roof over my head.

"Oh, babe, this is Lexi." Emily ushered Sam towards me, "She's going to be staying with us for a while."

"Hi, Sam," I said with warm cheeks, "I guess we've met before… just not formally."

He shook my hand with a polite smile. His lips started moving, but I was tuning out what sounds were coming from his mouth. He really didn't remind me of the Sam I knew back east. The Sam I knew back east was a shady pig who couldn't hold a conversation with a ten year old. I guarantee if I ever saw that boy again, I hoped that someone would be there to restrain me because I'd rip his fucking eyes out of his skull. I hoped my cousin had just stayed by his side out of loyalty… but I guess that wouldn't change anything. I had respected my cousin more than anyone, period. He was loyal, selfless, and kind… he had been my best friend. Now he was dead—because of me.

"Lexi?"

I blinked once Emily's voice brought me out of my thoughts. My eyes felt dry as if I hadn't blinked in several minutes. Apparently I had been staring straight at Sam for the entire time while I was thinking about my cousin. I could see the discomfort on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry." I couldn't bring myself to smile to show I was alright. Emily was looking at me with deep concern.

"That's alright, Lexi." Emily briefly flashed a smile, "Why don't you help Sam set the table and I'll finish preparing lunch." She checked the time on the microwave which displayed that it was almost three o'clock. I followed Sam towards a small dresser next to the table where I assumed we'd be eating and I could hear a rather hasty set of footsteps coming up the front porch.

Emily spoke up, "Well, I guess it's kind of–"

That's when the door burst open hard enough to slam into the adjacent wall. Uhh… Oh god.

I was staring back into the captivating eyes of the absolutely gorgeous man… Billy's son. He was reinforcing my initial judgment of him being mental. He looked like he had just ran several miles, he was sweaty, he was covered in mud, and he was still wearing nothing but those damn khakis. Despite all this, I couldn't help but feel the same pull towards him like I had earlier. Jeez. What was up with me?

I let my eyes wander over his perfect muscles and russet skin. Mmmm. I wanted to run my hands over that body… Uh uh. No! _Stop it_.

But, he looked like he wanted to do the same. I could see the hunger in his eyes when they raked up and down my body. I suddenly felt self conscious and I could feel my heart skip a beat.

"Oh, Jake!" Emily exclaimed.

Jake? That was his name? I guess he _kind of _looked like a Jake… I guess it was better that what I was calling him:

Mr. Sex-On-a-Stick…

Or… gorgeous-mentally-unstable-man…

"You came just in time," you could tell Emily was pleased with his very presence, "We were just about to eat." She smiled at him even though he still hadn't taken his eyes off of me, "You will stay, won't you?"

Emily and I stared at him as we waited for his response, whereas Sam and… _Jake_ stared at me.

"Sure, Emily." Jake nodded, "I'll stay."

_Uhh. Wonderful! _I exclaimed mentally as Sam closed the door. _Fantastic!_


	3. Chapter 3: A Game of Chicken

**Chapter 3: A Game of Chicken**

JACOB's POV

The man inside me felt an immense relief once my giant paws had hit the cool dirt, but the wolf inside me was snarling in fury. It was furious that I had left its mate behind in my father's kitchen.

That's right. It was his mate, not mine. That woman I left back there was not the woman I loved. I loved Bella Swan. That woman I left in the kitchen was the wolf's mate. Something that fate had sent us to screw with me and take away my free will.

I had thought that my life couldn't get any worse, but you can never assume that you've hit rock bottom. It'll just come back and bite you in the ass because later you'll find out that underneath the rocks there's a basement and inside the basement is a shit hole. Unfortunately, I found myself buried amongst the shit underneath the basement.

I can't believe that it was only a couple hours ago that I believed that I had hit rock bottom. I was in love with a married woman… a woman who was married to my mortal enemy.

'_What are you doing here, Jacob?'_ I heard Leah's cranky tone in my head, '_Your shift ended ten minutes ago!'_

'_Just leave me alone, Leah!'_ I barked. Of course Leah would be here

'_Leave you alone?' _Leah scoffed, _'Easy for you to say!'_

I tried to block Leah out of my mind as I fought the urge to turn back to my imprint. Her face flashed in front of my mind's eye and I could feel the warmth and comfort that consumed me at the thought of her. My wolf howled at me to turn back and I nearly did…

'_Wait!'_ I could feel the shock in Leah's mind, '_You imprinted?' _

'_No, Leah, I spend all my free time falling in love with random girls…of course I IMPRINTED!'_

There was a brief moment of silence I almost thought that Leah had phased… almost.

'_What are you doing here then?' _Leah said calmly, _'Go get her!'_

' _What! I thought you hated imprinting?'_ I snarled at her. I thought she would be the only one to understand my urge to fight the imprint.

'_I do.'_ She scoffed, _'…and I do understand why you're fighting but you're a freakin' idiot!'_

I growled, '_What?'_

'_You heard me.' _She spat, _'All you do is mope while Bella Swan lives happily ever after with that glittery douche bag."_

'_Whatever, Leah.' _I snarled, '_I never wanted any of this.'_

'_Well, I never wanted to touch your hairy balls but they're going to meet my foot if you don't get your lazy ass back to your imprint_,' she quipped.

I ignored her last comment, '_Why do you even care?'_

She sighed in frustration, '_Because, Black, you're pathetic. All you do is sulk about shoulda, woulda, and coulda. You need to move on, man. She's married. Besides, you're driving the rest of us crazy with your pathetic thoughts.'_

'_So, you're really doing this for your own benefit then?' _I asked.

'_Yeah_,' Leah answered without hesitation, '_Definitely. I ain't playin' matchmaker for kicks.'_

I paused to gather my thoughts.

'_I still hate imprinting.' _I groaned.

'_So do I, but what you're doing is even more pathetic._' Leah barked, '_You're thinking about this the entirely wrong way.'_

'_How should I be thinking about this?'_ I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. I was taking love advice from _Leah_ frickin'_ Clearwater_ of people.

'_Now that you imprinted, you can focus on something else _besides_ Bella Swan!' _

'_What if I don't want to forget about her? Huh? I love her and nothing is gonna change that!' _

'_Ugh!' _She groaned in frustration,_ 'Did I say "forget"?' _She drawled sarcastically, "_I'm pretty sure I said _focus on, _Black…,'_ she paused briefly,_ '…Sadly, you'll never forget that leech lover, but maybe this imprint will help you move on and live your life.'_

Well.I couldn't argue with that. It was just an hour ago that I couldn't get Bella out of my mind. Now that I had imprinted… everything had changed. This random stranger was all I could think about. Even though I didn't like it… that was my reality.

I might as well accept it.

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><p>LEXI's POV<p>

Once Sam had closed the door Jake made his way towards the dining room table. I could feel my heart beating out of my control as I watched him. I had decided back at the Black's house that I would spend as little time as possible around this man. My instincts had told me that the less time I spent with him the better. So I quickly came up with an…_activity_ to take up my time. Even though I wasn't looking forward to it, I guess it was something that had to be done.

Jake kept his eyes focused on me. I could feel those dark eyes boring into me—filled with hunger and need. I felt my shoulders stiffen and my jaw clenched. My stomach felt uneasy. Yet I still felt that pull towards him. The muscles in my thighs twitched as I made an unconscious step towards Jake. Uhg! What was he doing to me? My body felt like it was being pulled in two different directions. This unexplainable force was pulling me towards Jake while my conscious brain told me that this was crazy. _Jake was crazy!_ I needed to get out of here… NOW!

"Emily!" I shouted at her, even though she was standing right next to me.

She jumped at my outburst and her hand shot to her chest. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Um… I realized as I was in the shower that I haven't called my sister in over a week…" I swallowed in nervousness, "…I bet she's worried," _not_, "Could I use your phone?"

"Oh…uh…sure." She looked a little flustered after I basically shouted at her, but she got a cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to me.

I took it with hesitation, "Um…My sister lives back east—"

"Don't worry, honey, that's fine. I don't get charged extra for long distance." She smiled at me sweetly.

"Okay." I smiled as I felt relief washed over me. Now, I would be able to get out of the same room as Jake.

I took the phone from Emily and avoided Jake's stare. I walked outside and dialed my sister's number.

_Riiiing…riiiing… ri—_

"_Hello?" _I heard my sister's voice over the speaker.

"Hey, Jeanine." I tried to keep my voice polite. "It's me."

"_Oh._" I could hear her falsely polite tone, "_Did you get to La Push alright?_"

"Yeah, I got here fine." I nodded.

"_That's good…_" she paused, "_…Any luck?_"

"Not yet." I replied.

"_Oh…Right! Um… this man called the other day… Sam I think his name was. He said that he had been friends with Frankie and that he needed you to call as soon as you could. He said it was important._"

I groaned. Did my sister not listen to anything I told her? Did she really not care about Frankie at all? I had told her the story of how he died when I stayed at her house. Sam… the _bastard!_ I wasn't going to talk to him. He didn't have anything to say that was worth listening to!

"Yeah, whatever." I growled and then quickly changed the subject, "How is everybody back there, good?"

"_Yeah…yeah, everyone's good_."

There was a long pause. I guess my sister didn't have anything else to say.

"Have you visited dad?"

"_No, I haven't had the time."_

I knew that that wasn't true. You make time for those you care about. She didn't give a shit. I visited dad _every day_ when I was staying with my sister. I would have stayed longer, but she kicked me out!

The Angel of Death… that what she called me. She said I acted '_like an Angel'_ and no one would expect it. I was the _Angel of Death_ because everyone around me seemed to drop like flies. First, our mother 'fell victim to my curse' (her words…not mine). Our father wasn't dead… he just couldn't remember anything about us. Then our Aunt died in an accident just before my seventeenth birthday (Frankie had been eighteen). Now, Frankie had been murdered two weeks ago.

It pained me to even think about him. My cousin had treated me like his little sister. I think, besides my father, I loved him with all my heart.

I pressed the end button on the phone without another word. I had enough of Jeanine.

I just stood on the porch as I stared at my car. I thought about my cousin. My father sent me to live with my mother's sister back in New Jersey when I was fifteen. That's where I lived with my aunt and cousin. My aunt was never married and Frankie was a single child. So Frankie took me under his wing in a heartbeat once I moved in with him and his mom. I had only known him for a couple hours before he introduced me to everyone as his sister. He taught me how to live on the street. We spent a lot of time with his friends, including Sam.

I think he knew he was going to die. I had only been gone for a day before he was killed. He had given me most of his things before he told me to stay at Jeanine's for a couple days. Now the majority of clothes I owned were actually his. Which was when it hit me…

I dialed another number… Frankie's girlfriend's cell phone number.

_Riiing…_

"_Hello?_" A depressed voice whispered over the speaker.

I already felt a wave of sadness wash over me once I heard her voice.

"Christine?" I wondered how she was doing. Frankie and Christine had only been dating for a couple months, but they had really hit it off.

"_Lexi!"_ I pulled the phone away from my ear because Christine had basically shouted my name into her phone. "_Lexi? Oh my god. You're alright."_ I could hear the genuine relief in her voice.

"Why would you be worried?" I scoffed. It wasn't like I was a helpless girl who didn't know how to fend for herself.

"_Sam called me. Do you have any idea what's going on? Did you call him back? We've been trying to find a way to reach you."_

It took me a while to understand what she was saying. She had been speaking way faster than a normal human being.

"Huh?"

"_That gang that killed Frankie…,_" Christine gasped dramatically, "…_Sam told them that you were in La Push!"_

I felt the blood rush from my face and my stomach contract as the fear washed over me.

"_They caught up with Sam and forced it out of him."_

"Why do they care about me?" I felt my voice squeak and waver from the fear.

"_Apparently Frankie had been keeping something for Sam. And Frankie gave you that —"_

"Frankie didn't give me anything of the sort." I growled out as my fists clenched in anger, "He would never do anything to put me in danger."

"_Well Sam is convinced that he did." _She gasped for breath, "_You need to get out of La Push right now."_

I didn't need her to tell me twice, I abruptly hung up the phone and set it down on the porch. I was fishing my keys from my pocket as I jogged towards my car. I opened the door of my impala and twisted the key in the ignition. I didn't care that I left some clothes and my bath supplies inside Emily's. I'd just buy some new ones. I needed to get out of here A-S-A-P and going back inside would lead to questions and arguing. Loss of time that I couldn't spare. I revved the engine as I peeled out of the driveway. The last thing I saw as I looked in the rearview mirror was Jake standing on the porch with pain written all over his face. I wonder if he felt the same pull I did when I was around him?

_Get your head out of the clouds… it ain't gonna happen_, I told myself mentally as my baby's engine roared down the streets of La Push.

As I turned the corner I saw a large, black SUV heading towards me. I don't know… I had a bad feeling about it… I gripped the steering wheel painfully as my stomach twisted into knots. My intuition never failed because suddenly another SUV pulled out from behind the first and started driving towards me in my lane. There was no one else on the street so I knew that their maneuver was nothing but bad news for me.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. My heart wrenched as I wished Frankie was here with me—he would know exactly what to do. I swallowed as I pushed harder on the gas and my engine roared ferociously. Their vehicles had more mass than mine so I'd have to be quick. The two SUVs stopped at an angle blocking off the entire road and sidewalk. The only way around them would be to drive up onto the surrounding lawns of the homes on either side. A ridiculous idea came to my head—I had to be quick because I only had thirty feet left until I would collide with the other vehicle. I yanked on the steering wheel with force and my tires squealed and rubber burned as my car spun around. I shifted into reverse and slammed on the gas as I plowed through the SUV. I heard the sound or the metal groaning as it became twisted and warped. There was tinkling as shattering glass fell to the asphalt.

Then, something happened that I should have accounted for. I should have foreseen it for I was dealing with coldblooded criminals and murderers.

The sound was earsplitting. I had never heard it happen so close to me before. Yeah. In the neighborhood back home it was common to hear every couple weeks, but when you were only a couple feet away. It certainly was different. It was different in the movies too—much much louder in real life. It was the only thing I could hear. Gunfire. It sounded like I had entered a warzone. I could tell that the bullets had shattered my windshield as they whizzed by and I lost control of my car. I could tell by the way the car slid across the ground that I was no longer on paved road. I could tell that I hit something when my body whipped around like a rag doll from the abrupt deceleration.

I was hyperventilating as I sat unable to move in the driver's seat. My engine coughed as it died and I felt the painful pull on my scalp as someone dragged me by my hair out of my car. I let out a cry of pain as I grabbed onto the hands that were tangled in my hair. The muscles lining my spine ached from whiplash.

I had crashed into a tree in the front of someone's house after the people had shot my tires out. I could hear men shouting as the person let go of my hair. I didn't even bother to stand up because all the men around me had some sort of weapon in their hands. I flinched when I heard more gunfire. I covered my ears with my hands as the gun discharged beside me. Would I have known if they shot me? Maybe the adrenaline pumping through my veins prevented me from feeling it?

I saw some men rummaging through my boxes of things from my car and dumping the contents onto the muddy lawn. There were clothes and random items that fell from the boxes. There was a metallic crunch as a small boxlike television fell out onto the grass. It was a small, portable television that looked like it belonged in the seventies complete with rabbit ears. I knew immediately that it was out of place. Frankie and I never owned a TV, hell, because we never could afford a decent one. Frankie wouldn't waste his money on this piece of shit.

Several gun barrels were pushed into my face and more shouting ensued. I couldn't understand what they were saying—partly because of the ringing in my ears and partly because there were five people all shouting at me at once and partly because they were all speaking Russian. Huh? This was definitely not the gang that killed Frankie. The gang that killed Frankie was definitely not these Russian men.

However, I couldn't ignore the five guns that were all pointed at me… They must be after the money too because –I actually couldn't think of any other reason than _what the fuck else would they be after!_

"THE T.V.!" I shouted covering my face with my hands. The shouting stopped and there was another crash as the T.V. was ripped apart. I peeked through my fingers as a velvet bag was pulled out of the empty T.V.

The blue velvet bag was carried over to a man in an expensive suit. The man honestly looked constipated- his face was twisted into a permanent scowl. He glanced in at the contents of the bag and nodded his head. I felt a hand wrap tightly around my arm which forced me to my feet. My neck and spine protested because of the whiplash. I tried to ignore the pain as I was pulled towards a car that I hadn't noticed before. I _almost_ laughed because it looked like one of those stupid cars that only old people drive in. It was rusting in places and it looked like it could use some love. They were steering me towards the open trunk of the decrepit vehicle. I saw that I wasn't the only one that was going to be riding in the trunk.

My heart nearly stopped as I got a good look at the man. It was the other man from the beach, not Emily's Sam, but the other one that had seen me bathing in the ocean. He had two bullet wounds in his chest and blood running down out of the side of his mouth. Despite his dark skin he looked _too _pale—_deathly pale_.

He wasn't moving.

I was turned around to face one of my captors as he bound my wrists and covered my mouth with duck tape. He laughed at my panicked expression as he pushed me into the trunk with the other man. He slammed the trunk and I was consumed by darkness.

* * *

><p>Hmmm.<p>

I posted this chapter because the story had taken a new path, which I find much more exciting.** I won't be posting another chapter untill I get some more reviews**. I don't want to waste anyone's time by posting a story that no one is interested in. If I get lots of reviews, I promise that I'll have a new chapter posted within a weeks time.

No reviews = No more posts

;) Thank you! Reviews are really appriciated.


	4. Chapter 4: NoWin Situation

**Thank you guys for reviewing. The faster you review the sooner I post. :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: No-Win Situation<strong>

PAUL's POV

Once I came to… I wish I would just slip back into the numb darkness.

No. Actually I felt _fantastic_. Just peachy.

It was like I had a bad hangover, which I knew was impossible because of my high tolerance. The wolf metabolism prevented me from getting any kind of high from alcohol or drugs. Believe me, I tried. Yet here I was with an annoying pounding as if I had just decided to plow head first into a block of granite. My mouth was dry as the Mohave Desert in the summer. It felt like I had stuffed cotton balls in my mouth as a form of punishment for my rash actions. I could taste dried blood in my mouth, it kind of reminded me of the time when I _accidentally_ I lost a couple of my baby teeth.

I must have been around six when that front upper incisor started to come loose. It bugged the shit out of me. It would wobble around in my gums as I ate and it was more of a distraction than anything else. I wasn't going to be one of those kids who, like a dumbass tied their tooth to a doorknob and then slammed the door.

At the time, my motto was that the greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. Ha! No. I think that still is my motto. So, there was a paleface that sometimes hung around the store in La Push. He must have been twelve or thirteen. I picked a fight with him. He clocked me right in the side of my mouth. Let's just say that I lost a couple of my other baby teeth doing that as well as the incisor. I still beat that pimply teen's ass.

I briefly wondered where the dried blood that was now in my mouth came from. My head continued to throb, which was slightly dividing my attention from my growling stomach. Damn, was I hungry. I was fucking starving. _I could really use a couple family sized pizzas right now._ Shit. I could probably eat a can of those fucking disgusting green olives that they put in martinis. Fuck. Olives are nasty. I could feel the wolf rising to the surface in response to the hunger. The pack always felt a lack of control when our instincts kicked in. It was a survival mechanism of sorts.

I flexed my muscles in attempt to lift my arms to grip onto my pounding skull, but my muscles felt weak and fatigued. I groaned. _Big mistake_. My chest constricted in muscle spasms and the sharp pain ripped through my right side.

"Motherfucker!" I choked out.

That's right. I remember getting shot. Man. That shit is painful. Getting two bullets to the chest was certainly different than getting ripped apart by a leech. Hey. They do say that brushes with death are like snowflakes. Each one is unique and icy cold.

Especially the bloodsuckers.

Before I had been shot, I had finished patrolling with Jared and immediately went to see Rachel. Fuck. I was a lucky wolf. Within minutes I had her fucking sweet ass in my hands as I pounded into her. I flaunted my strength when I fucked her standing up. I remember the way her face scrunched together as my dick filled that sweet pussy of hers.

"Damn it."

I felt another stabbing pain in my chest once I thought of Rachel's tight pussy around my cock.

Once my imprint was satisfied she demanded that we snuggle. Ha! Fucking snuggle. I had never enjoyed snuggling or cuddling after I fucked a girl, but Rachel was different. My wolf purred in pleasure at the close proximity of our mate. I remember her hair splayed out across the pillows as I licked and nipped at the sweet skin on her neck. Her breasts fit perfectly in my hands. Shit. I have big hands, too.

An hour or so passed by when I heard the gunfire down the street. I immediately told her to call Emily's and lock the door before I went to investigate. I saw a group of human males harassing that girl from the beach. I had to do something, but the minute I opened my mouth they shot me. _Twice. _Those motherfuckers. I was going to find who shot me and rip out his fucking throat. I had to admit that I could have handled the situation better, but I had been distracted. I had been worried for my imprint's safety… Now look at me. I nearly died from acute lead poisoning.

Did the guys know I was alive? There was no way in hell I was going to let a couple bullets get to me. Sure I was wheezing and it hurt like a son of a bitch to breath. The bullet had entered my chest on my right side… I'm pretty sure that my heart is on the left side. It had definitely punctured my right lung. I could still taste the fucking blood in my mouth.

Did my imprint know I was alive?

That's when I sat up in panic. How long had she been waiting for me to come back? What time was it? What day was it?

Even though it was dark, I didn't have to strain my eyes in order to see my surroundings. I had been laying on a mattress… not a bed, just a mattress which was now stained with my blood. There was a girl lying next to me, it was the same girl that had been bathing at First Beach. She was either unconscious or sleeping. She reminded me of Rachel. She had the same dark skin and jet black hair, which was now so disheveled that it resembled 'sex hair'. Her lips were dried and cracked.

I scanned the room around me. The walls were made of cement which kind of reminded me of a basement. It was probably thirty feet long and twenty feet wide and twenty feet to the ceiling. There were no doors. Zero. What the fuck? There was one window just below the ceiling, but you'd be lucky if you could squeeze a midget through there. How did I get here? I looked straight up to see a hatch. _Oh_. That's how we got here

First priority was to get the fuck out of here. Could I phase? I was concerned with the gunshot wounds on my chest and how that would affect my transformation. I had been shot twice and I was lucky to be alive. I guess our healing capabilities extended further than we originally thought. I wondered how bad it was. Were the bullets still in my chest or was it a through and through? I looked down at my bare chest, the two holes were smaller than I thought they'd be and what was left had scabbed over. Considering how much I had healed, I guessed that we had been down here more than a day.

The girl next to me mumbled in her sleep, pulling me from my thoughts. She twitched a bit, but after a couple minutes passed—she became silent again.

Okay. My second priority was to get something to eat. I was already feeling incredibly weak, probably from the lack of food and from blood loss. I needed water too. Scratch that _we _needed water. The girl's lips were dry and cracked, and I was pretty sure that mine were too.

Shit. Who the fuck was keeping us down here? Why wasn't I buried out back in the woods somewhere… Hell, I think I would have preferred being thrown into a dumpster. At least then, I could climb out of it and go back home. But, no. I was stuck here. The stabbing pain in my chest combined with starvation and dehydration pulled doubts into my mind. I don't think I'd be able to break out of here.

I laid back down on the mattress to conserve energy. I needed to think things through before I acted on impulse. I sighed. Fucking mistake.

My chest muscles began to spasm uncontrollably as I coughed and hacked up some of my blood. I felt the warm liquid pool in my mouth and that unique scent that only blood has filled my nose. I could feel resistance on my left arm as I sat up to spit the blood from my mouth. I gripped my side with my left arm. I felt a cold object around my wrist, but that thought was shoved out of my mind when I could feel the warmth of the girl directly behind me. I glanced back at her with a scowl. She was awkwardly hovering over me with an apologetic, yet panicked expression on her face.

"What are…" I attempted to clear the blood from my throat.

"Sorry! Sorry!" She whispered harshly.

I continued to scowl as I felt her breasts pushed up against my bare shoulder. _What the fuck was she doing?_ It was like she was giving me an awkward hug. Thankfully she decided to molest my left side otherwise it would be very painful if she was leaning on my right side.

"Do you mind?" her voice wavered in anxiety.

"Get off me!" I shouted at her with a scowl. I was cranky from hunger and pain. I didn't want to be touched—let alone molested.

"I can't!" She sounded offended as she tugged on my left arm.

I looked down and realized what she was talking about. We were handcuffed together by my left arm and I had used that arm to grip onto the ribs on the right side of my body.

I let my arm fall to my side and she quickly scurried as far away from me as she could without moving me. I glanced at her. Her right wrist and my left wrist were handcuffed together. She had a tiny tank top on and her skin on her arms and chest had erupted in goose bumps. She held herself so that she had less surface area. She had pulled her knees to her chest and kept her left arm tucked in close to the rest of her body. As seconds passed I saw her start to shiver out of the corner of my eye. It didn't feel cold to me, but I was running at a toasty one-oh-eight. From what I could tell, it was around fifty degrees in here, which was too cold for just a tiny tank top.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." I grumbled.

"It's alright," she murmured, "I wouldn't want to be touched by a stranger either if I was injured."

I grunted in agreement. We continued to be silent for several minutes.

"Are you hungry?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yeah." I responded and straightened up in attention. Did she have food?

"Can you stand up?" she asked with excitement now.

"Yeah." I answered. She must have food if she was acting this way.

She stood up which caused my left arm to lift with her arm. She patiently waited for me to get to my feet as well. I followed her as she slowly led me away from the mattress at the center of the room.

"Can you see anything?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

"Yeah." I scoffed. But I immediately regretted it. She wasn't a shape shifter. _Of course she wouldn't be able to see anything in the dark, dumbass._

"There should be a donut five-ish feet ahead of us." She explained.

I spotted the donut lying on the ground a couple feet away. I pulled her towards the donut and carefully crouched down awkwardly to pick it up off the ground. I split in half and gave her the other half.

"How did you know there was a donut over here?" I asked before I put the stale, dry donut in my mouth.

"This morning, some of the men were taunting me by throwing food out of my reach." She explained.

"Huh?" I spoke after I had swallowed the food.

"Well…" I saw her face scrunch up in frustration, "…I was attached to you. I bet you weigh like two hundred pounds… and I didn't want to move you because you were injured."

"Oh." I replied. _Man, those guys are assholes._ "How long have we been down here?"

"I'm pretty sure that it's Tuesday night or Wednesday _early_ morning." She scowled, "It was Sunday afternoon when you were shot. We got here during the night and Monday passed. Then, in the morning the men were throwing food down here."

She said food. Was there more? I scanned the floor and spotted a part of another donut a foot away.

"Come on." I said as a gently yanked on the handcuffs.

I walked and she stumbled over to the donut. It was one of those sugar coated ones. I split it in half and handed her a piece. We ate in silence and I thought of more questions to ask her.

Once I was done chewing my donut I asked her a question, "Who are these guys?"

"I'm not sure really. I don't know what they want from me. I thought they took what they wanted." She answered with her brows furrowed.

_Well that's too vague._

"Explain." I demanded.

"When they stopped me in La Push, they were after something that I didn't even know I had." She frowned as she glared out at nothing in particular, "I had a lot of Frankie's things in my car. They rummaged through my things and then they found a small bag. I figured that whatever they were after was in the bag, but they took me too."

I thought about this information for a while. Who was Frankie?

_Who fuckin' cares? What's more important is what was in the bag! If we knew what was in the bag we might know what these guys wanted._

"Do you have _any_ idea what was in the bag?" I asked with impatience.

"No." she shook her head.

"_Really_?" I was getting frustrated and even more impatient. The hunger and dehydration wasn't helping my mood.

"Look." I could tell that my negative attitude had ruffled her feathers because she was starting to fume as she spoke, "All I know was that the bag was too small to have money in it, which is what I thought was!" Her voice was steadily getting more and more loud, "It could be drugs! It could be diamonds! It could be a BAG. OF. FRICKIN'. LEPRICON. GOLD!"

She was huffing with both her fists clenched and I watched her flex her jaw as she ground her teeth together. We stood there for a couple minutes. Before she spoke again her breathing rate leveled out.

"Okay." She took a calming breath before she continued, "My adopted cousin's best friend is in a gang back home. He was having trouble with a rival gang… apparently he stole something from them, which I can only assume was the bag that these thugs took. Frankie, my cousin, tried to help out, but…"

I watched as she struggled over her words. She took a couple more breaths before she continued again.

"…but he was killed."

She bowed her head and hid her face behind her hair. I couldn't shake off the sinking feeling in my stomach. I felt like a shitbag for yelling at her.

"The guy or…," she flinched,"...Frankie must have hid the bag amongst Frankie's things. Then I took it when I loaded Frankie's boxes in my car."

We were no closer to finding out what these guys want, which pissed me off, but taking it out on her wasn't doing either of us any good.

"Why am I here?" I asked.

"I thing they took you because they wanted to get rid of your body or scare me by keeping me down here with one…" the girl frowned, "… these are just theories of course, but they think you _are_ dead . Once they find out you're not… I don't know what they'll do."

This sucks.

For the rest of the morning, I figured that we might as well be productive so I searched for more food. In total I think I found five more donut pieces. We eventually introduced ourselves. Apparently the girl's name was Lexi. We talked about the pack. Of course I didn't tell her about the whole shape shifter thing. She asked questions about Emily and Sam. I had no idea that she had met them. She explained that she had met Embry, Quil, and Jake too. I found it amusing that she thought Jake was a nutcase. I had to agree with her. That idiot was obsessed with the leech-lover and absolutely refused to give up.

We decided to wait until morning before we looked at my wounds. Apparently you can see quite well during the daytime because daylight did leak through the small window. I was really surprised that she didn't question me on how I was still alive. I was kind of avoiding the subject, but it was really the huge purple elephant standing in the corner of the room. I guess we silently agreed to avoid it. We had laid back down on the bed during our conversation. I could tell she was cold so I offered her to take advantage of my high body heat. She immediately became concerned with my high body temperature. She started freaking out because she was convinced that I would die from an infection. I rolled my eyes. Of course she would think that because of my elevated temperature. Of course, I let her believe that I had a fever.

I had to admit that I wouldn't want to be held captive with any other person. Yeah. I said it. The guys would have been whiny and bitchy the entire time. I could just hear Embry complaining about every single thing. Sam would be controlling every situation. Jake wouldn't be able to shut his fucking mouth about the leech lover. That also includes my imprint because I was glad that she was safe in La Push with the Pack.

There. I said it.

I couldn't deny the fact that I was starting to feel a connection with the girl. Strictly platonic. I had an imprint for Christ sakes. No. It was the type of connection that you build with a fellow kidnapee or hostage or whatever. If I wasn't a shape shifter I could definitely see myself being friends with her. But that wasn't reality. We could never be friends. Any relationship would be dangerous and unnecessary…

I mentioned that I had a girlfriend before she snuggled up against my left side. She scoffed at me when I mentioned that.

Her hushed laughter echoed off the walls, "Why don't you just take a long walk off a short pier." She joked.

I couldn't help but shake my head and stifle my laughter.

"Look, Paul." She began to chew on her lip, "I'm really sorry that I got you involved in all this."

"Yeah, yeah..." I waved her off like it was nothing, "You can beat yourself up over it later and I'll help." I joked.

She gave me a small smile in response.

"But, seriously." I immediately changed the mood of the conversation, "We first need to find out how to get out of here."

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><p>I bet you guys are wondering when you're going to get a chapter from Jake's POV. He is the main character after all. You're in luck because the next couple chapters are going to have a lot of Jake in them.<p>

Review!


	5. Chapter 5: The Lady or the Tiger?

Hey readers. I'm back for a bit. Hopefully the next chapter can be posted soon. As long as I get enough reviews.

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><p><strong>Chapter Five: The Lady or the Tiger?<strong>

Lexi's POV

I woke with a start from my prone position. Aches and pains had thwarted any positive thoughts from rising to the surface. I guess I had been lying in the same position for too long, resulting in several knots to form in my sore back. I was parched— my mouth was more dry than a bag of Top Ramen— I wasn't about to get a drink any time soon. I had long since given up on finding a comfortable position on this bloody, yet dusty spring mattress. I don't even want to think about my hygiene right now. The last time I had taken a shower was at Emily's on Sunday. I assumed that it was now early Wednesday morning. I still had Paul's dried blood on my hands. Also, my skin slowly became a few shades darker than normal because of the dust that accumulated on any exposed surface it could find.

_I've had enough of this bullshit._

I felt that all too familiar sting at the back of my eyes. Yes, I had cried once I got the news of Frankie's death. Before that, it had been years since I had let a tear shed. I didn't cry at his funeral because I didn't go. Not because I didn't believe in that stuff, not because I wouldn't have found it as a closure of sorts, and certainly not because I wouldn't be able to bear to see his cold body lying in that wooden casket. I didn't go to Frankie's funeral because there simply wasn't one. The morgue still had his body by the time I hightailed out of town. They needed it for the investigation.

Now, I knew no tears would come. I was too dehydrated.

There was a muffled voice from above, so I quickly ignored my body's protests as I sat up and strained to catch any words that were being exchanged.

"What number are we looking at here?" I heard the muffled voice between several footfalls and furniture scraping the floor above.

"We have to determine the quality of the product before we make a decision." A new voice caught my attention causing anxiety to flutter and churn in my stomach.

There was a loud thump from above. I felt Paul awaken beside me.

"Wha—"

I clamped my hand over his chapped lips. I removed my hand from his mouth as quickly as I had placed it there. The hatch from above swung open abruptly. I tried to block some of the light shining in with my unshackled hand. I strained my eyes in attempt to see the figure above me, but the harshness of bright lights above made it impossible to see anything. I felt a prick in my shoulder. It felt almost like a flu shot, only there had been no time to mentally prepare myself for the needle to penetrate my muscle. With my free hand I brought it to my shoulder and felt the small capsule protruding from my oily skin. I could already feel the numbness radiating down my shoulder and to the tips of my fingers.

It was like I was pulled into one of Frankie's favorite horror films— a slow crawling, eerie fog in a graveyard creeping towards the damsel. She flees in attempt to escape from the fear the fog carries with it. It's not the fog she fears. After all, the fog is harmless, simply water vapor. No. It's the fear of the unknown. Fear of being able to see. Being able to move, yet with no idea of where you are headed.

Unable to escape this place.

She trips over a protruding root or even a gravestone. This is when I usually laugh. Why is it that the girl always trips when she is trying to run away? You see it in movies all the time. She could be running from a deadly serial killer, a zombie, or a bloodthirsty werewolf. She never fails to trip over something, sometimes she trips over nothing. It's ridiculous. You'd think that earlier in this person's life, they've probably watched a movie where this happens. I swear, if I am ever in that situation where I am running away from a psycho killer clown. I'm going to remember—

_What was I going to remember?_

It felt as if my head weighed a hundred pounds. My eyelids were heavy and my body was completely numb. I had to admit that it was a relief. A part of me begged for me to fight to stay conscious, but I was tired of this bullshit.

Tired. I let the darkness take me.

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><p>Paul's POV<p>

For some reason I felt much warmer than normal and the cold cement was only a small relief to my overheated skin. My body felt really heavy and slow as if each limb was carrying the weight of a thousand— Whatever. Something really heavy. Fuck…I couldn't think straight right now. I could feel the agitation building up inside the pit of my stomach from conflicting sensations. I felt a stabbing pain in my head and chest, yet my body was numb at the same time. I felt nauseated, yet this stomach piercing hunger was impossible to ignore. How did I get here? Honestly. I don't know. Everything was hazy and blurred together. I can't remember—

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a stomach-twisting, ear-shattering moan. Not just that, but a moan of absolute, desperate fear.

I opened my eyes.

At first, I didn't believe what I saw.

The creature let out an even more frightened call once my eyes connected with hers. It paced desperately looking for an exit, an escape. She and I were alone in a small cemented room. All animals have an all consuming instinct to give us shape-shifters a wide birth. I watched as the creature desperately dug its sharp claws at the cement wall. It struggled with the leather collar around its neck and the chain that it drug along with it. I could see that blood was clumping the fur on her paws. She had taken the skin off her pads as she pawed desperately at the cement.

I felt a stab of pity for the animal as well as self-hatred for myself having caused this poor creature this anxiety—enough anxiety to cause her to hurt herself.

The pity was quickly replaced with awe once I noticed that she had actually made some progress at creating an escape. There was a large indent in the cement as well as powdered rock lying beneath the indent. I had to admit that she was a magnificent creature. I never really appreciated animals before I phased, but now I had a new found appreciation for fellow carnivores especially.

Physically, I had never been this close to a tiger before. She definitely didn't deserve to be in this small room stuck with a shifter.

I sniffed the air carefully. I could only smell the tiger's scent and the gravelly dust she had created. No human. I took off my shorts and painfully phased. The tiger bolted into the corner while she let out her fiercest snarl. I tried to ignore her in order to make the process as quick and painless as possible (for her). My sharp claws were built for tearing through a vampire's sickening flesh, so obviously, cement would be as easy as cutting through a piece of pie. I felt the cement turn to dust beneath my paws. I had felt the blood run down my arms, just like the tiger's, the pads on my paws couldn't take the beating.

The cement finally gave way and a small opening was created. A draft of warm air rushed into the room bringing the scent of human sweat and cigarette smoke. I let out a deep growl before I continued to make the whole large enough for a tiger. I listened closely for movement on the other side of the wall while I continued to tear through the rock. Once I was satisfied with the size I glanced back at the tiger, only to realize that she was still had a chain holding her within the confines of the walls. She wouldn't be able to go far.

Fuck.

I had no choice but to move closer to the tiger in order to reach the iron post in the wall that was grounding the chain. It would probably be easier to rip off the leather collar. It would also be safer because then she wouldn't get the chain caught on anything. I made the decision quickly and decided I should act on it sooner than later in case the humans discovered the hole I created. I lunged at the tiger as if she had been a vampire. I felt my jaws latch onto the leather collar tearing it off her neck easily. Of course, my hasty just-rip-the-band aid-off-tactic bit me in the ass…or should I say sunk her claws into my shoulder. I hastily wrestled her off me before she bolted out the hole I created. I quickly pulled my shorts back on before I followed the tiger through the hole.

I was in some sort of never ending warehouse. Isles of shelves towered over me as far as the eye could see. There were hundreds of boxes stacked precariously along the isles. I tried to remember what I was doing here still and why I _wasn't_ looking for the exit. I don't know why, but I had this feeling that I had forgotten something. It's like that feeling you get when you leave the house without your wallet (but you don't realize that you forgot it until you're about to pay for your groceries).

Some male voices were echoing around the giant warehouse, distracting me from my attempts to recall why I was here. Then some unlucky bastard jumped out from one of the isles with a crowbar. I took him out faster than I even realized what I was doing. It was like my primal instincts had taken over my body, because so far my mind was spinning at a mile a minute—incapable of making any sort of intelligent decisions. It was like my body had left my brain back in the cement room I had woken up in. Once my brain had caught up, I found myself standing over the man's unconscious body.

I couldn't ignore the heartbeat that was thundering behind me. I turned around to see the business end of a gun pointing straight at my chest. The man held onto his gun like it was his fucking security blanket or something. I couldn't help the icy laugh that slipped through my lips as I watched the crotch of his jeans darken from his own piss. I shook my head in disgust and …. A part of me had hoped that this man had a little more fight in him. I mean the guy was covered in what I assumed were gang tattoos. The chains snaked around his neck, resting over his white wife-beater shirt. He had silver teeth which reminded me of Jaws from that old James Bond movie, which one was it? Moonraker, Maybe?

I felt the palm of my hand connect with his head before I watched his body fly across the room like a rag doll. There were dozens of men scrambling around me, like ants, while gathering random shit from the shelves. I would pick off anyone who got to close.

Like a stuck pig, I was now completely covered in blood. Some of the men actually were able to hit me with those pathetic pistols. It was kind like the movies really. Where the good guy takes on like twenty bad guys, who all have guns and is able to dodge every bullet. In your head you're asking yourself, _why the fuck can't these guys hit anything? The good guy is like wide open and a stray bullet won't even hit him. _I always thought it was unrealistic and I was right.

I had been grazed a couple times by several bullets, but I could already feel the healing process working its magic.

"Voce nao droga esse cara!" A guy yelled behind me. I growled at him as he dragged his mangled body across the floor. His legs seemed like they no longer were working.

"Yeah, Chefe!" One of the thugs shouted back in a thick accent, "I gave him enough to knock out that tiger!"

They really need to stop yelling. I felt my wolf shake his head, itching to be let out. I felt like I was balancing on a high wire, one wrong step and I would phase. I already felt my canines starting to shift and my eyes flash. My head was spinning like a tilt-o-whirl, making it even more difficult to balance on this thin line of control. Another one of those motherfuckers got too close to me as he was scrambling to gather some tightly packed bags of something that definitely _wasn't_ flour. The fierce snarl that came from my throat caused him to squeal like a pig as I effortlessly knocked him a dozen feet away. I had no control in this drugged out state. I stumbled and nearly fell into the scattered pile of drugs that were now strewn across the floor.

The world seemed to flip around and I couldn't follow which way was up.

I don't know how I did it. Honestly I don't care, but I found myself staring up at an ominous grey sky. My entire body started to throb as I breathed in the salty, city air and a foghorn blasted not far away. I stumbled to my feet and pieces of glass fell to the ground. I guess I went through a window. I didn't even know I was on the second floor. I looked up at the building beside me. Judging that the window on the third floor was broken, I think I fell from the third floor. Huh.

I ground my teeth together as a set of tires screeched against the asphalt. I watched the white truck speed off down the narrow roadway between two brick warehouses.

_Finally!_ It was quiet. Or at least as quiet as it could be. I could hear seagulls calling overhead and a police siren in the distance.

_Shit._

Now might be a good time to make like a douche and get the fuck out of here.

I had decided to head in the direction that the truck had gone and found myself walking through a construction site. My head was finally starting to clear… when I realized I was digging my own grave deeper. I was walking away from that clusterfuck crime scene back there, I was covered in blood, and there were a dozen construction workers that could give the police my description. Hell. It was too late now. I stopped walking and searched through the sea of faces of workers who had all stopped what they were doing and staring at me now. I couldn't blame them. _I was covered in blood_.

I walked up to one of the closest workers that happened to be around my age. I could tell that he was uncomfortable with the fact that a half-naked, crazy motherfucker was coming right at him. Jeez. His eyes were darting around towards his fellow workers as he shifted his weight.

"Hey," I stopped walking towards him, "Can I use your phone?"

The guy just stared at me with wide eyes for a moment before he wordlessly pulled the phone from his pocket and handed it to me. I dialed Sam and Emily's number and waited for an answer.

"_Hello?"_ I heard Emily's sweet voice on the other end.

"Hey, Emily… It's Paul."

"_Oh my god!"_ she gasped, "_Paul! Sam! Sam! It's Paul! How are you Paul? Where are you?"_

"I'm fine." I replied, "I have no idea where I am." I turned to the guy who handed me the phone, "Where are we?"

The dude cleared his throat before he spoke, "Um, whaddya mean? We're in Seattle, the Industrial District."

"I'm in Seattle, Emily."

"_Oh that's good."_ She sighed in relief. "_Is Lexi with you?"_

"Lexi?"

The name rang a bell… Then it hitI felt the blood rush out of my face and my empty stomach contracted painfully. Shit! Shit! Fucking shit! How the hell did I forget about her? Fuck!

"Emily! I remember her being with me for a couple days… Uh… what day is it?"

"_It's Wednesday, Paul_." I could hear the worry seep into her voice.

I couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped my throat, "She was with me this morning. Can I talk to Sam?"

"_Sure."_

There was a brief pause.

"_Paul?"_ I heard Sam's voice clearly on the line.

"Yeah, Sam." I answered, "Lexi was just with me this morning. I was unconscious for a while and when I woke up she wasn't there."

"_Start from the beginning—"_

"I woke up on Tuesday in a cement room. I had been shot and I couldn't phase with the girl there. When Wednesday morning came they separated us. I escaped. They'd been keeping us in some sort of warehouse. Should I go back and look for her? I left the warehouse in pretty bad shape. There are probably cops there now."…and a loose tiger.

"_No. Don't go back. If the police are there she should be safe. Jake and I will meet you in Seattle then we need to find Lexi."_

"Okay. Where do you want to meet?"

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think. :D Please. If you do, I promise I'll post sooner. <strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Stalemate

**Chapter Six: Stalemate**

JPOV

I couldn't suppress the overwhelming anxiety that coursed through me as I watched the speedometer of Paul's pickup creep just above sixty-five. Sam and I were squashed in the tiny cab as we drove to Seattle. I dug my nails into the seatbelt which felt like it was clamping me down like a vise. I knew that the pain in my chest wasn't from the seatbelt. I couldn't ignore the constricting feeling in my chest which was preventing me from breathing normally. My jaw clenched while I ground me teeth as I remembered Sunday afternoon… the worst day of my life.

Meeting my soul mate was something I had thrown out of the window a long time ago. I never imagined I would imprint… hell, I never wanted to. After witnessing it happen to the through our mental link I thought I had a good idea of what imprinting was like—boy was I wrong. My first mistake was in the kitchen—I actually believed that I could deny an imprint?_ Okay, I admit that I'd panicked._ The truth was that I was hooked like a fish on a line once I inhaled her mouthwatering scent. I remember the spicy, cinnamon flavor that filled the room, which had overpowered that old car smell. I never imagined that she'd have a Chevy Impala, which was completely totaled in the incident Sunday afternoon. The more I learned about her, the more confident I was that she was the girl for me.

Once I accepted the fact that I did indeed imprint, it wasn't like anything I imagined. My imprint—_Lexi_—was the most beautiful creature imaginable. Her jet black hair cascaded around her shoulders nearly reaching her lower back. I remembered how it felt to have my fingers tangled within the silky locks. _Oh, what I wouldn't give up to have her back in my arms right now!_

Losing my imprint turned out to be a million times more painful than anything I could have imagined. The pain from being separated from my imprint and not knowing whether she is alive is incomparable to any pain I've ever felt. Being separated from her makes me feel like I've failed. I'd failed as a protector. Now, it's cost me my sanity. My life is crumbling in my own two hands, yet there is absolutely nothing that I can do about it.

I think back to Sunday evening when we explained everything we knew to Chief Swan and the fucking FBI. _The fucking FBI came to La Push to investigate the scene_. Apparently, the gang that kidnapped Lexi and Paul were from Seattle and are known for trafficking. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, and arms deals. I cursed the spirits for sending me such chaos. I couldn't push down the feeling that builds up in my chest when I think about the terrible things that might be happening to her. Is she hurt? If those fuckers laid a hand on her I'll hunt them down and rip their—

"Jacob!" Sam shouts, "Stop growling. You need to cool it! Otherwise you'll phase in this truck."

I halt any sound coming from my throat and grind my teeth together. Maybe if Sam went a little faster. Then we would be able to meet Paul in the industrial district in our own lifetime. There was still a forty-five minute drive until we reached Seattle and Sam was driving as slow as an old person.

I was pulled from my thoughts as the cell phone in my pocket began to ring, announcing that there was an incoming call… from _Emily's _phone. I pulled it from my pocket and hastily answered the call.

"Hello?" I could hear anxiety in my voice.

"_Jake_?" the male voice asks from the other end.

"Yes… who is this?" I growl out, my impatience rising to the surface.

"_It's Sam Perea_. _You talked to me on Sunday about Lexi's kidnapping_…" I clearly heard his New Jersey drawl over the speaker

I did. I looked at the recent calls on Emily's phone right after we found out what had happened. I called the two numbers, one her sister and the other was her friend Christine who filled me in on what was happening and instructed me to call her "friend who had connections", Sam Perea.

"… _I've got some news on her location_."

"Where is she!" I couldn't help but yell into the speaker.

"_I'm afraid this has gotten more complicated…"_

I felt my stomach drop and twist into a knot as the blood rushed through my ears. _How could this get more complicated? How could this get any worse?_ I should have hit my head against the dash for thinking that. It seems to be a never-ending process in my life. Like I said before, you can never assume that you've hit rock bottom. It'll just come back and bite you in the ass because later…

"…_One of my connections in Seattle said that one of his guys spotted her."_

"You're sure? Where!" I shouted again impatiently.

"_Yeah, I'm sure. It doesn't matter where, you won't be able to just waltz in there and grab her. They'll rip you apart before you have the chance to get through the door…"_

I could feel my entire body vibrating as my control was hanging by a thread. If I didn't calm down soon, I'd probably phase right here in the cab of Paul's truck.

"…_You have a pen and paper?"_

I dug through the glove compartment and found a pen and an old gas receipt from a station in Port Angeles. "Yeah."

The guy gave me the address and I quickly wrote it down. He informed us that we had to ask for a guy named Anson once we get there and he'll help us out. I thanked him before hanging up.

"Did you catch all that?" I asked Sam, my alpha.

"Yeah." Sam grunted, "Let's pick up Paul first, he's on the way anyway."

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><p>Once Sam had pulled into the dirt lot, we saw the construction zone that Paul had described. Sam had explained during the ride that Paul and Lexi had been separated, and it wasn't Paul's fault that they didn't know where she was. Sam had assumed that the Seattle PD would have her after Paul had told him that the warehouse where the men had been holding them was crawling with cops. Obviously, he was wrong. My eyes scanned through the construction workers in search for my fellow pack-mate. I realized that they must be on their lunch break because almost all of them were sitting down with sandwiches or burgers and ice cold drinks. Once I spotted Paul, my stomach constricted painfully and the blood rushed from my face.<p>

Paul had been sitting amongst the workers and was covered in dirt and blood to the point where he was almost unrecognizable. His skin was several shades darker than normal, which made his eyes and teeth seem that much brighter. The only thing that Paul was wearing was his khaki shorts, just like he would be on the reservation. I saw that Paul had spotted us before he waved goodbye to some of the workers. They waved back at him as he ran towards us. I slid over into the middle of the cab so that Paul would have room to get into his truck. I was grateful that he immediately climbed into the cab and said…

"Let's go!" his voice sounded gruff.

"What the fuck happened?" I could hear the horror in Sam's usually calm voice.

"Whaddya mean? I got shot twice, Asshole!" Paul growled, "Now let's go! The sooner we go the faster I can get back to Rachael."

"You've got glass in your hair." I stated in a monotone voice, trying to ignore the feeling of dread coursing through me.

"Shut it." Paul growled.

Sam started to drive to the address that "New-Jersey Sam" had given us.

"When did you see Lexi last? Was she alright?" I asked with nervous anticipation.

"Why the fuck do you care?" Paul pouted with a furrowed brow.

"You didn't tell him?" I asked Sam, surprised that he didn't tell Paul that Lexi was my imprint.

"No," Sam shook his head, "Fill him in."

"Tell me what." Dirty Paul said, his voice laced with indifference.

"I imprinted," I said through clenched teeth, "On Lexi."

Paul's eyes shifted from my face to Sam's and then back. His brow furrowed in hesitation, like he didn't believe that I had in fact imprinted. I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck in irritation at the sound of Paul's hoarse laughter.

"Oh…Oh, you guys aren't serious." His voice wavering.

Both Sam and I gave him a look.

"YOU'RE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" he shouted as his body started vibrating as he lost his cool.

"NO! I IMPRINTED ON HER!" I shouted back, _why was it so hard to grasp?_

"WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?" He continued to growl angrily, "I COULD HAVE PHASED AND ESCAPED WITHOUT ALL THIS MESS ON TUESDAY!"

This statement stopped me in my tracks. If Paul had known that I'd imprinted…

"FUCK!" Paul screamed hoarsely.

"What are you saying?" I growled impatiently.

"I would have phased and broke us outta there if I'd known she was your imprint!" He growled in fury.

"It's too late now guys, so just cool it." I could hear the annoyance in Sam's voice.

Sam was right, we might as well focus on the current situation instead of mulling over what could have happened. I was able to get my mood under control briefly before Paul started to chuckle.

"What?" I grumbled.

"She thinks you're a nutcase." Paul chuckled.

"Who?" I could feel my anger and annoyance rise up again.

"You're imprint." Paul snickered.

In a split second, I had a strong urge to strangle Paul. I was barely able to stop myself.

"What did she say about me?" I asked, a different kind of anxiety started to brew in the pit of my stomach. Out of all of us, Paul had probably spent the most time with my imprint, he knows things about her that the others don't.

"She said that you were running around all sweaty and half naked all the time with a crazed look on your face." Paul's snickering continued.

"What else did you find out?" I asked, my curiosity had peaked.

"That she likes horseback riding and long walks on the beach." Paul stated.

"Really?" I asked, unable to contain the excitement.

Paul busted up laughing while he clutched onto his sides.

"You're a dick." I growled.

"Guys, we're here." Sam interrupted as he parallel parked along the curb.

The place looked like a nightclub, which was obviously closed at this time of day. I shoved Paul because he was taking his sweet ass time getting out of the cramped truck. I rushed up to the door and knocked loudly on it, the sound vibrated through the entire door which seemed to be made out of some sort of metal. I waited as Sam and Paul eventually joined my side after feeding the meter. It seemed like several minutes had passed by before someone opened the door. A tiny Mexican looking guy poked his head out of the door.

"Whaddya want?" he spat as he squinted at us.

"We need to talk to Anson." I stated.

"What the hell happened to you, bro?" the tiny Mexican asked Paul, ignoring my statement.

"Life." Paul growled.

The Mexican's eyes darted in between Paul, Sam, and I before he allowed us to come inside. My eyes adjusted to the dark interior of the empty club. There were mirrors everywhere, on the ceiling and parts of the walls. We passed by a bar as we were ushered further into the club. We stopped before a door. I started to feel my impatience bubble to the surface as the tiny Mexican just stood in front of the door. He huffed in impatience as he tilted his head up and to the right. I noticed the video surveillance pointed directly where we were standing.

"Come on!" he shouted, obviously aggravated. He flipped off the camera.

I was about to say something when the door buzzed and unlatched so we could enter. Once through the door we went up some stairs before entering into a lounge. I nearly gagged at the smell of cigar smoke and sweat. I had to admit that the room was way too hot, I felt like a stuck pig over a roasting fire, and I immediately had the urge to go back down the stairs where it was cooler.

In the center of the room there were three guys playing a game of cards. Two of them were smoking cigars, ironically both of them were chunky too. The third guy was scrawny and looked like he could use a shave. The little Mexican dude shuffled over to the empty seat and picked up some cards.

"Who are these guys?" A thick New Jersey accent came out of the mouth of one of the stockier guys, his brown hair was slicked back and he was wearing suspenders and a white button up shirt.

Before I even had the chance to open up my mouth, the guy got a good look at Paul, "What the hell happened to you?"

In their perspective, I'm sure Paul looked like he had just survived the apocalypse. A deep, reverberating growl rose from Paul's chest. I was surprised to see that it didn't startle anyone in the room.

"Life bit him in the ass." The Mexican piped up.

The New Jersey guy 'hmph'-ed at this information, "You…" he pointed his stubby finger at the three of us, "… aren't from around here, are you."

No one answered because his tone suggested that his question was rhetorical.

"I'd bet my shoes that you three are from one of the nearby Indian reservations." He nodded his head, "That little squealer said that you'd be by here today. He's lucky that I owe him."

He stood up from the table and the rest of the players threw down their cards in frustration. "Who did you say you were lookin' for?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"Anson." Sam spoke clearly before I could.

"Well, you've found him." He lifted an invisible hat from his head in greeting. _This guy is weird_. Anson began to saunter toward us as he spoke, "How the hell do you know Sam?"

"We don't." Sam stated in a gruff voice, "Never met."

Anson nodded his head as he stopped walking once he got within two feet in front of us. I felt the need to take a step back because the stink that lingered around him was almost as repulsive as a leech. His neck strained to look up at the three of us. I estimated that he was exactly one foot shorter than Paul.

"Good." Anson glared up at Sam in attempt to see if he was lying about what he said. "Then you'd be okay if I off the poor bastard once he gets here."

Sam didn't say anything and I could see Paul's eyes were darting between Sam and I as his little pea-brain tried to figure out what was happening. Anson started to chuckle, then his buddies started chuckling behind him. The only exception was the gangly guy's eyes were darting around as he let out a nervous chuckle.

"We better get you cleaned up," he huffed as he eyed Paul, "You look like you just crawled out of your grave."

I was glad that we'd be getting some relief as Anson led us back down the stairs away from the room that smelled like sweaty balls.

"Gimme your keys to that truck parked outside." Anson wiggled his fat fingers in front of us once we reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Why?" Paul barked. He had a right to be upset about it, it was his truck.

"Cuz, if you want my help, you'll give me the keys." Anson shook his head in disbelief, "Plus we need to move it, we won't be back before the club opens… and I'm sure my customers will want to park there."

Sam gave Anson the keys without hesitation and we exited the club through a back door into an alleyway where an S.U.V was waiting for us.

"Come on, guys." Anson ushered us into the vehicle, "We gotta go for a ride."

Anson instructed the driver to "step on it" once we all climbed into the car. As we drove, I couldn't help but notice how slow time moved as my eyes would shift to the digital clock on the stereo. I thought that several minutes had gone by, when in fact, the clock still read 2:37 pm. I felt my impatience rise to the surface again as I wondered whether I'd be seeing Lexi any time soon. I desperately needed to have Lexi in my arms soon, otherwise I think I am going to rip out Anson's throat.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Anson decided to cut the silence.

"What's the girl's name?" he asked in his New Jersey accent.

"Lexi." Sam answered. Hearing her name out loud was like having a blade twist deeper in my chest. The constricting pain intensified to an all new level.

"Are you guys related or something?" he asked.

"It's a possibility." Sam stated.

"Well," Anson began hesitantly, "I don't know what Sam said to you guys, but the… _people_ who have her are in a _particular_ business." He coughed uncomfortably.

Paul scoffed, "Like what? Is she being held captive by pimps or something?" He laughed jokingly.

I wanted to punch him in the face for joking about that. But when Anson shifted in his seat uncomfortably, a wave of dread rushed through my body and Paul's laughter quickly died down.

"Explain." Sam demanded to Anson.

"Not exactly." Anson explained, "They're in charge of any human trafficking in the city."

I felt sick. My stomach started to spasm painfully, but since I can't remember eating anything in the past day I didn't have anything to throw up.

We drove down numerous residential streets of Seattle, all I knew was that I'd never be able to afford any of the houses, or should I say mansions, we passed by. We pulled into a driveway of a mansion. I wanted to scoff at all of the bushes that were sculpted into flawless identical squares and a picture perfect lawn. _What the hell did Anson do to afford a house like this?_ What was he a mob boss or something? Maybe ripping out his throat would be a bad idea.

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><p>I'll post sooner next time if I get more reviews! Promise!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7: The Glitch

**Chapter Seven: The Glitch**

JPOV

I fought down the urge to gag as my nose burned after inhaling the cheap cologne. I coughed at the intensity of the artificial scents and alcohols from Anson's cologne that lingered in the air. This was going to be the longest drive of my life.

We were back in Anson's SUV after stopping by the gigantic waste of space that he called home. Paul, Sam, and I were given suits to change into. Of course, Paul was forced to take a shower before he changed into the borrowed tux. I hated the way the material clung to my body. _Fuck_. It was itchy. On top of it all, the suits we had on were too small, I was surprised that Anson had three suits that were large enough to look half-way decent on us. I remembered changing in the enormous bathroom that was the size of my living room back home. I couldn't help but feel envious of the house. I knew that I'd never be able to afford anything close to that. What if my imprint expected that from me? What if I was unable to provide for her? I tugged on the tie that wrapped around my neck tightly. It felt like a noose, and any minute that wooden chair would be kicked out from underneath my shiny black shoes.

The plan was to pose as Anson's "friends" as he looked for a suitable girl to give us as a gift for our new found friendship. I desperately hoped that it worked. I wouldn't let myself think about what was happening to my imprint right now. Was she hurt? Was she scared? What if she wasn't there? What would I do? I shook those thoughts from my head. I couldn't let myself think that way. I had to think about something else… Anson seemed to always have bodyguards around. I wonder what life was like as… well… what exactly was Anson? I had no idea what he did to make all this money. This made me anxious that we were putting so much faith into a man we hardly knew.

I looked out the window of our vehicle, which pulled into a dark, empty parking lot. Besides the artificial lighting, it was completely dark outside since the September clouds blanketed the sky, preventing the stars and the moon from shining through. I stepped out of the stationary vehicle, very pleased to have gotten out of the cramped car. Anson's staff had followed us in a separate car, but still our vehicle consisted of Anson, his bodyguard (who drove), Sam, Paul, and I. With three of the largest shapeshifters in the back it was too cramped for comfort.

I looked around the parking lot, which had various weeds growing out of its cracked, crumbling surface. You could no longer differentiate the various parking places, which suggested that it was not very well taken care of. Before exchanging looks with Sam, we followed Anson and his staff as they walked towards the nearest building without uttering a word. The building was made of brick and was littered with graffiti. It looked abandoned and my doubt of Anson intensified as we advanced on the building.

We stopped walking once we reached the building's front doors, we couldn't see into the building because the windows were boarded up completely. I was shocked, but relieved when Anson pushed through the door. I half expected it to be locked… I felt like I had entered _the Matrix_, the interior of the building reminded me of the scene where Neo had déjà vu right before Morpheus was captured. The tiles were a black and white checkerboard pattern and there was a stairwell that lined the walls. You could look up from the center of the room and see the ceiling five flights above us.

We were greeted by a man at the base of the stairs. His voice was a deep baritone, "Come with me."

The Anson and Sam took the lead, followed by Paul and I, with Anson's three staff in the back. We began to climb the stairs.

"The boss is pleased to have you as a costumer again, Anson." The baritone said, "It's been a while since you've done business with us."

"Well yeah." Anson shrugged his shoulders, "I haven't needed your services lately…No… I'm doing this as a favor to my new friends." Anson motioned to us wolves.

"I see." The man replied.

We entered the first room on the second floor. There was a T.V. playing a baseball game while three men were lounging on random, mismatched furniture. There were two naked women asleep on a huge, heart-shaped bed in the corner. I tried to avoid my eyes from wandering to that corner of the room.

"Boss." The baritone called, bringing the 'boss's' attention to us. The boss was dressed way too formally, in my opinion, to just be lounging around. He too was wearing a very expensive suit.

The boss smiled in recognition when he saw Anson. "My old friend, it's good to see you."

"You too, Anthony." Anson pulled the man into a brief hug while pasting on a smile. I could smell Anson's change in mood. His scent clearly showed his anger and disgust rolling off his body. Obviously, Anson didn't care for this man.

"Let's get to business." Anthony pulled a cigar from his jacket pocket, "What can I do for you?"

"These are my new _friends_," Anson gestured toward us, "They're planning on leaving the city soon and I was hoping to let them leave with a parting gift… a _woman_?" Anson shrugged his shoulders as if it was an everyday thing... no big deal.

"Hmmm." The man traced his mouth with his index finger.

"I was hoping that you'd show us your merchandise." Anson smirked, "Since they get to pick their poison."

It was silent beside the baseball game as Anthony's eyes racked over the three of us. Eventually, he nodded before continuing.

"I think that's appropriate." He flashed us some pearly whites, "Let's look at the girls."

Everyone followed Anson and Anthony out of the room, except the two naked women. I felt a little bit nauseous at the thought of the two women in the room. Were they here on their own accord?

"So…_friends_…what kind of merchandise were you thinking of acquiring?" Anthony gave us a smile that made him look even more like the fucked up asshole he was.

Sam glances at me before he speaks, I can tell that the calm façade Sam was portraying was an attempt to follow our cover story, "Dark hair, brown eyes," Sam shrugs, "nice skin."

"Of course," Anthony smirks, "Were you looking at our…" Anthony clears his throat, "…_pure_ merchandise?"

I know Sam doesn't know what Anthony was talking about, but he plays it cool, "Doesn't matter," Sam shakes his head, "As long as she's a _nice_ girl."

"Of course." Anthony agrees before he whispers to one of his men who begins to climb up the stairs and out of sight.

I could hear movement in the floors above me and I felt the anxiety rush through my body. I wondered if I was going to see my imprint.

The smell hit me first, like a closed fist hit me in the gut, it nearly caused me to buckle over. My wolfish senses were bombarded with the smell of fear. Human fear smelled different from any other emotion. It was bitter to my senses, and so strong that I could even taste it on my tongue. I could hear several footsteps coming down the stairwell, including the tapping sound of a woman's stiletto shoe.

"Most of our merchandise…" Anthony's lips continued to move, but the only sound I could hear was the high-pitched oscillating ringing.

Then I saw only her—while my vision was coated in red.

Her black silky hair was clinging to her forehead as the sweat glistened on her face. Her eyes were glassy and focused on nothing in particular. The only reason why she was still standing was because of a firm grip around her arm.

In the back of my mind I recognized a faint rumbling, as if a train was passing by, I could feel the vibration in the ground.

The next thing I noticed was what she was wearing. If this had been any other time my head would be spinning from the blood rushing down south, but now, it only fueled my anger. She was wearing stiletto, fuck-me heals, black stockings covered her legs up to her thighs were they stopped at a lacey black garter with matching panties and bra. She had a tiny, red silk robe that rested on her shoulders and did absolutely nothing to cover up her body.

The rumbling was slowly intensifying and a deep bass reverberated in my chest in a steady tempo. My brain recognized the sensation, reminding me of music that was turned up too loud in high quality speakers. The sensation fueled something deep within my soul, my motivation to act on instinct. My wolf was clawing just beneath the surface, telling me to get to my mate and protect her. I smelt a scent so faint that I thought that at first my mind was playing tricks. But my sight confirmed the scent. On my mate's lip there was a small drop of blood, oozing from a cut as if someone had hit her across the face. The sight of blood on my mate was my snapping point.

There was a muffled roaring sound in addition to the thumping bass which vibrated through my body. My muscles tensed as I prepared to attack the man whose fingers were wrapped around my mate's arm. I could feel my muscles recoil as I lunged. The movement around had slowed down as I saw the man next to my mate tense up in surprise at my sudden movement. I barely felt the warm hand that gripped on my shoulder. I knew that it was my alpha trying to prevent me from attacking the human. But his attempt was fruitless. I continued my ascent up the stairs towards the unlucky bastard.

The spit hot pain in my shoulder was ignored, even though it felt like someone had stabbed me with a red, hot iron poker.

I realized where it had come from once I recognized the metallic object in the bastard's hand, the one that wasn't clutching onto my mate. I felt another white hot pain in my side as another bullet grazed my skin this time. My right hand connected with the man's face and my left arm wrapped around my mate gently. With as much strength as I had I pushed the man's head down towards the wooden staircase. My wolf rejoiced at the sickening sound of the man's skull breaking as I literally shoved his head into the wood with so much force that the wood around him cracked and gave way to the pressure.

I gently set my mate down on the stairs and realized that she was completely unaware of the commotion around her. She was in some sort of drug induced state that prevented her from being able to stand on her own.

I could hear the gunfire around me as I became aware of my surroundings. I hadn't realized there were so many people around me, my attention had been solely focused on my mate. There were five other girls besides my mate that were all dressed in similar outfits. These girls were either fleeing or had collapsed onto the stairs because the men holding them on their feet were now advancing towards me. My wolf roared at their persistence. I knew immediately that I had to destroy the threat. I was able to stay in my human form as I lunged towards the closest man. My momentum sent him through the wall, resulting in the wall basically exploding from the impact. This caused my wolf to snarl in fury as irritating particles and dust floated into my nose and mouth.

I moved on to the next unlucky human, but this time there was one of the women in-between the two of us. He took my hesitation to his advantage to escape. The stairwell down was blocked by my brothers who were tearing apart their attackers. The human made a split second decision and threw himself over the banister and down two and a half flight of stairs. _Idiot. _I heard him land on his feet, but I heard the sickening crack of a bone breaking along with a scream in agony.

I rushed back to my imprint, who was still lying where I left her unharmed. She stared glassy eyed up at nothing in particular, her eyes unfocused. She was breathing and her heart rate was slow, but steady. I glanced down the stairs at my brothers who had eliminated all threats, the only two men still conscious were Anson and Anthony. Anthony was covered in his own blood after I assume he took several punches to his face considering how swollen it was. Anthony was curled up on the stairs looking up at Paul and Sam who were towering above him.

"Y-You know that my men know you were h-here, Anson." Anthony stuttered through his swollen lip. "You won't get away with this!"

I wasn't sure what I expected Anson to do, but he laughed at Anthony's comment. "What are they going to do?" It wasn't a question. Anson was basically calling out Anthony's empty threat.

Anthony just sneered as one of Anson's bodyguards climbed up the stairs. I had forgotten about Anson's staff. I looked around at the unconscious bodies around me and recognized that one of them was one of Anson's bodyguards. I knew that he was dead considering that there were several bullet holes in his chest.

"What should we do, boss?" the conscious bodyguard asked, panting.

"We should get out of here before the cops arrive." Anson growled as he stared at Anthony.

This was my cue to pick up my mate. I positioned her so that I was carrying her bridal style. Her body fell limp in my arms, she had obviously lost consciousness.

"What about him?" the bodyguard motioned toward Anson.

"Take care of it." Anson said before heading down the stairs.

Sam followed him with a conflicted look on his face. Paul and I followed them into the parking lot. Anson unlocked the SUV with the remote key and the car chirped. Our alpha stopped several feet away from the vehicle, so Paul and I flanked him.

"What are you doing?" Anson barked, "We don't have time to just stand there! Get in the car."

_If the shady mob boss offers you a ride, you treat him like a stranger with candy, and you say, 'No, thank you sir.'_

"I think it's best if we go our separate ways." Sam said in a calm, but authoritative voice.

"No!" Anson growled as he walked back towards us, "I was kind enough to help you, only to have you repay me by pulling me into the fucking catastrophe! Your boy here started this feud, and he better well see it through."

Sam glanced back at me, weighing the options.

"Plus, don't forget those are my clothes you're wearing," he jabbed at the bloodstained suits on our bodies, "Also, _he_…" Anson poked Paul roughly, "…probably wants his truck back."

Sam glanced back at Paul and nodded his head once. He knew that Paul needed that truck for work and couldn't afford to leave it behind like that.

Sam stepped forward in a silent agreement to get into the car.

_Oh, what were we getting into?_

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><p>Anson and Sam were sitting in front while Paul and I took up all the space in the back. The car ride back was deathly silent, which I was thankful for. This was the first time I could focus my attention completely on my imprint.<p>

_It felt so good to have her back into my arms again!_

…or should I say lap?

I had positioned her on my lap for the ride. It didn't matter where we were going or what we were going to do about the fucked up situation once we got there. All that mattered is that I had her back and I wasn't going to ever let her go again.

She had regained consciousness, but only to an extent.

"Lexi." I called her name, but she didn't respond. She continued to stare at nothing, her eyes unfocused.

I caressed her cheek with my thumb, trying to get her attention somehow. She leaned into the touch and closed her eyes in pleasure as she inhaled deeply.

"Jake." She slurred as she pulled herself closer to me. Her fingers had a death grip on my shirt. I couldn't prevent the purr that bubbled in my chest at the sound of my name on my imprint's lips. He was pulled into a lust-filled haze just by the intimate proximity.

She was pressed up against my body while she buried her face into my neck. I couldn't ignore the tingling pleasure down my spine brought by the sensation of her breath on my neck. I groaned as my hands skated over the garter that surrounded her soft thighs. I couldn't think straight anymore and I allowed for my hands to dive up underneath the silky robe that barely covered her. Under my finger tips, I felt the lacy black panties that covered her ass.

I growled as I felt the need to relieve the discomfort building in the already small pants I wore. The whimper that escaped her throat and the smell of her arousal fueled my fire.

I felt something warm and wet run down my neck and over my collarbone. I gently placed my hands on either side of her head to pull her face from out hiding. I noticed the drool that escaped down her chin and onto my skin. I honestly didn't mind, actually I thought it was cute, but I was worried what drugs they had given her. Her eyes were still glassed over and I mentally kicked myself for taking advantage of her in this weakened state.

I felt like dirt for it.

She probably had no idea what was going on.

We pulled into the driveway of the huge mansion that we had been at earlier that day. Anson parked the car outside the front of the mansion before he slid out of his seat and stormed up the concrete stairs leading to the front doors.

"Come on!" Anson barked, "I don't have all night!"

My wolf growled at being ordered around by a measly human male.

But then I wondered how we were going to get out of this situation without tearing each other apart.

_This isn't about battering rams and guns, I've gotta handle the situation with care._

We had to talk our way out of this…somehow.

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><p>Thank you to those who reviewed! It is very much appriciated. =^_^=<p> 


	8. Chapter 8: Morton's Fork

**Hey, I'm back... for now. Reviews are very much appriciated. Thanks Chelsea for reminding me that this story was here. You're pretty much the only reason I've updated.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 : Morton's Fork<strong>

I couldn't help it.

Staring at her beautiful face, that is. I brushed some stay hairs away from her face, glad that she finally was safe tucked into my side. She was more beautiful than I remember, but she didn't smell right. The first time I had met her in the kitchen, she smelled like freshly baked cinnamon rolls, just like Mom made when I was young. Now there were so many scents on her it made my wolf agitated. I could feel his hackles sticking up every time he caught another man's scent on her. Lexi was knocked out cold on the couch—sandwiched like cream between two Oreos— Paul and I kept her upright on the couch. She was so out of it that she would fall over limply, like a fighter who just took a hook to the sweet spot on the jaw. I couldn't look away in case she started to move. I was itching for her to wake up. I had no idea what they had given her and it was making me anxious.

Earlier, I had tried to get her into a comfortable position while keeping her beautiful body covered with the ridiculous, silk robe. I had her sitting in my lap for a while when Paul pointed out that Lexi only knew me as a nutcase and I would scare her off if she woke up in my lap in what she was wearing. I argued with him for a while—I mean she is my imprint, why would she be scared of me? But, on the other hand, why take the chance? I guess I did get a little… "excited" in the car earlier. So, I tried laying her down on the couch, but the robe was too short and showed off her long, tan legs too much. There are three body guards in the room with us and I didn't want them staring at her like a piece of meat. So, then I tried to have her sit in the weird, modern looking sofa next to the one Paul and I are sitting in now. It was made out of a really soft material and only had one armrest kind of thing, the rest was just flat. But, then she kept falling over or sprawling out limply. I kept trying to get her comfortable, but it had gotten to the point where Sam finally snapped at me.

"_Jacob, stop moving her__ around! Just prop her up between you two." _Sam's fists were balled up as he ground his teeth together, _"All your fuss—it's driving me crazy!"_

He was just cranky because none of us has eaten recently. I swear Paul's stomach is going to eat through his liver soon with how much noise its making. Having a bunch of shifters cramped up in a tiny room who haven't eaten recently is not an ideal situation. It had been three hours since we had arrived at Anson's with Lexi. We have no idea when he is coming back, but it better be fucking soon.

I ran my fingers through my hair, only reminding myself of the tight, bloodstained suit I was wearing. I could barely move an inch in the thing. I finally noticed that Sam and Paul already had taken off theirs. Sam was sitting on a leather chair in just a white undershirt and a pair of pants that looked like they belonged to a 6' tall man (instead of the 6'5" that was Sam). His fists still balled up and teeth grinding together so hard that he could probably tear through three inches of steel. Paul was shirtless with his bare feet up on the cherry coffee table in front of us. His eyes were glossed over, staring at the 40-inch HD T.V. in the corner of the room. I knew the only thing keeping him awake was the hunger pains.

I decided to take off Anson's ruined jacket as well as the buttoned up shirt underneath it. I didn't understand how other people could wear those things every day they went to work. I would probably tear the thing off after a while (which I guess I was doing now). I took the black dress shoes off, which probably would be okay still. That is, after someone cleaned all the blood off them.

I felt the couch shift slightly. My head snapped towards Lexi, but she was still completely out of it. Paul had straightened up and was glaring at the T.V. A fake-looking blonde newscaster lady was speaking…

"_Alligators in the sewers? How about tigers in Colchester? That's right, folks. There have been numerous sightings from the Industrial District all the way to I16 near Port Orchard. Officials are investigating these sightings and numerous pictures and videos are coming in from our viewers_..."

A bunch of blurry images of a tiger were being shown on the screen. One amateur video showed the tiger running across a street, another going through someone's backyard, and another running into some dense underbrush.

"…_Officials are saying that the tiger was most likely kept as a pet and escaped. Animal control is still trying to contain the animal…"_

Paul chuckled while he shook his headand rubbed his eyes. I opened my mouth to ask him what was so funny when one of the double doors slammed against the wall after Anson forced it open like a raging bull.

"God damn it!" Anson screamed as a vein pulsed in his forehead, "God damn it!" His face was turning purple, "God DAMN IT!" He kicked the dark wood chest the T.V. was sitting on. The T.V. wobbled precariously, but thankfully didn't fall. A dozen more men had followed Anson into the room, which wasn't good for us because they were armed to the teeth.

Even our supernatural abilities wouldn't withstand the heat they were packing.

Anson spun around so that he was facing us. His stubby finger was pointing straight at me. My wolf bared his teeth in annoyance at the human gesture.

"You three have cost me three investors! THREE!" He held up three fingers as if a visual aid was the only way to get his point across. "'No one wants to give you their money when you just started a war', they say." Anson fumed. The vein in his forehead was still pulsating.

"Now, I don't' know how things work down in…" he waved his hands in the air "…NativeLand…" Sam let out a deep growl and I couldn't help but smirk as some of the guards shifted nervously away from him.

"… But in my world, when someone does a favor for a man…" Anson's eyebrows were so high that they might get lost in his greasy hairline "… there's a debt that needs to be repaid."

The room was dead silent except for the T.V. in the background. I glanced at Sam for guidance, but he was glaring daggers at Anson

"But, something tells me that you three aren't going to be able to pay me back, so…"

I was expecting him to continue, but instead he motioned to one of his larger guards. I tensed as the guard advanced towards Lexi. He reached for her limp body and I saw red. I was on my feet before I realized it…

But, I froze as I registered the sound of the numerous guns cocking and realized they were aiming straight at Lexi and me.

"That's right." Anson panted heavily, "I wasn't about to take any chances with you three. After seeing you in the stairwell, I did some digging…"

Anson looked like he had lost his mind. His forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat and his eyes were as wide as quarters.

"… And word on the street is that your boy here," he gestured toward Paul, "survived two bullets in the chest… without hospitalization."

I could see in the corner of my eye that Paul and Sam were exchanging words outside of human hearing range.

"So, this is what we're going to do…" Anson was speaking slowly and cautiously, everyone was on high alert with all these guns drawn.

"…I'm taking the girl—"

"NO!" I shouted, resulting in all the guns pointing straight at me. The guard who was supposed to be grabbing Lexi looked like he was having an internal debate with his position. There were so many guns pointed in my direction that he was in the way of several of them.

"Jacob." Sam pulled out his strongest "alpha voice", resulting in my wolf to stand at alert— if he hadn't been already. "What do you suggest?"

"I'm thinking." I mumbled so that only Sam and Paul would hear.

"Don't strain yourself." Paul mumbled back.

I growled at Paul's asshole comment.

"Jacob." Sam barked.

I could see that Anson was impatient, almost bored with the situation now, as he crossed his arms and tapped his expensive-douche-bag-shoes. He grumbled as he took several large steps towards my imprint and his stubby fingers wrapped around her arm. He attempted to lift her up off the couch, but her limp body fell forward. Thankfully, he caught her before she fell and carelessly dragged her out of the line of fire. There was a part of me that was happy she was out of immediate danger, but seeing Anson's stubby, sweaty hands on her made my stomach churn. I bared my teeth as her robe opened up so that the lingerie underneath was clearly visible to everyone in the room. My wolf snarled in fury and I could feel my eyes start to shift.

Then panic settled in when I saw Lexi's eyelids flutter as she was being held up solely by Anson's grip on her. My wolf hearing could catch the increase in her heart rate, indicating that she was waking up.

"I'll work for you!" I shouted at him—it didn't even sound like me and I don't have any idea where that came from, but it was too late to take it back.

I could tell that this had caught his interest for a second, but he had quickly masked his emotions and put on his best poker face as he spoke to me, "What do you suggest?"

In that moment, Lexi's eyes had opened as she attempted to catch her bearings. My heart was pounding in my ears.

"I'll work for you to pay back the money you've lost." I spoke with desperation, watching her every move. It looked like the drugs still were having an effect on her.

"It's a lot of money, son."Anson stated.

_So I was his son now?_

"It'll do the job, won't it?" I growled back, impatiently. "Now, I want her back."

I could tell Lexi had recognized my voice because her head snapped in my direction when I had spoken. She started to tug on Anson's fingers in attempt to loosen his grip, but in her drugged out state it was like a small child trying to pry off the hands of an adult.

"The girl stays here." Anson spoke firmly.

I felt Paul's hand grip my shoulder tightly. Unconsciously, I had taken a step toward Anson and the guards were starting to fidget, fingers itching to pull the trigger.

I took a deep breath before I spoke, "What do you mean 'the girl stays here'?"

"Well, she's important to you…"

Lexi had struggled harder against his grip and Anson had to re-grab her around the wrist.

"…think of it as a contingency—"

"Paul—" Lexi whimpered. My wolf bristled at the sound of his voice coming from her lips and not mine.

"…if you don't come work when you're supposed to the girl will be here." He grinned just like the Grinch who planned to steal Christmas.

"No!" I protested. How could he think that he could keep her from me?

"It's either this way…"

One of his hands remained firmly on Lexi's wrist while he reached behind his back.

"Paul, what's happening?" Lexi's voice wavered in fear as she looked over my shoulder for an explanation.

"…or no way at all."

Anson had pulled a revolver and pressed it firmly into my imprint's temple. A harsh intake of breath came from her lips. I felt Paul slam into my shoulder as he lunged for Anson. Sam must have seen it coming and tackled Paul to the ground. I heard the sickening sound of a click from the revolver. The fucking bastard had pulled the trigger, but there hadn't been a bullet in that compartment of the gun. Lexi let out a very audible whimper as she stood frozen like a statue. Anson spun the cartridge and snapped it back in place, pointing the weapon back at my imprint.

"I can do this all day." Anson laughed like a sick maniac.

I had been paralyzed by fear seeing my imprint being held at gunpoint. I wasn't prepared for how much fear and desperation was pumping through my system. My wolf was howling and clawing at the wall I had put up to keep him from coming to the surface.

"How do you sleep at night, Anson!?" Sam shouted as he struggled to hold down a snarling Paul, "You really going to shoot a girl?"

"It's not me that's shooting the girl." Anson gestured toward me, "You will be the reason she'll have a bullet in her brain… just agree to the deal!"

"I'll do it!" my voice was hoarse as I screamed, "Whatever you want! I'll do it."

"Good."

Anson immediately let go of my imprint. Tears were streaming down her face at a constant rate. Sam had released Paul, who had just gotten to his knees. There was a sick twist in my gut as Lexi ran straight to him and fell on her knees. She hugged him desperately and he tried to soothe her by stroking her hair. I guess they had bonded over those days they were missing. I need to ask Paul about that later.

"You start tomorrow night." Anson spoke as he started to walk to the doors, "And I sleep on silk sheets, rolling naked in money."

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think<strong>


	9. Intentionally Blank

"_Many documents contain pages on which the text "This page is intentionally left blank" is printed, thereby making the page not blank."_


	10. Chapter 9: Socrates

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed. I hope you guys enjoy this.

Also, thank you, **Taurus Pixie, **for beta-ing this. It's very much appreciated.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Socrates<strong>

"_I know one thing: that I know nothing"_

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><p>If you asked me how I had gotten myself into this situation, I wouldn't be able to tell you because I had no clue.<p>

I was doing my absolute best to remember the past couple days, but my memories were more confusing and twisted than a snake tangled up in a sack of licorice whips. _Think, Lexi, Think_…Before there was a gun pressed up to my head, the last thing I could remember clearly was talking to Paul in a pitch black cell, eating stale doughnuts off the floor, and wondering how I had ended up in that situation.

Sam.

That goddamn backstabbing, cock-sucking dumbass! If it weren't for him I would still be tripping over the weeds growing in the cracks of the asphalt of the basketball court down the street from Frankie's apartment. On Tuesday and Thursday nights we would always play a game or two with the other kids in the neighborhood.

_Stop thinking that way, Lexi. Thinking that way won't bring him back._

_Focus!_

I remember something hitting me across my face because the constant throb in my swollen lip was a clear reminder. Then there was the moment I could never forget. The click of the sweaty man's revolver as it was pressed up to my temple. The thought of cold metal against my skin caused me to shiver involuntarily.

I buried my face further into Paul's collarbone. His entire body had continued to tremble excessively for the past couple minutes as I refused to release my grip on him. A rough, large finger tilted my chin up which allowed Paul's brown eyes to meet mine briefly. I could tell that he was simply checking to make sure I wasn't loosing it. I gave him a small, reassuring smile to let him know that I was fine.

I scoffed out loud at my thoughts. I was kidding myself. I wasn't fine. Far from it.

_Stop thinking that way, Lexi. Think about something else._

Paul returned his hand to the back of my head which allowed me to bury my forehead into his hot chest. I glanced down at Paul's clenched fist against my left hip…

_Wait…_ Every muscle in my entire body tensed.

_WHAT THE FUCK?_

_WHAT AM I WEARING?_

_HOLY SHIT!_

There was girly, lacy shit covering my legs and hips! This is so embarrassing! I was wearing this friggin' girly lingerie in front of Paul! He has a girlfriend for Christ sakes!

_Who_… the… _fuck_… put… _me_… IN THIS SHIT!

I felt really warm and uncomfortable as my heart continued to pound in my ears. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath or I had just ran the 100 meter dash. I refused let myself look around the room. I had no difficulty ignoring the sounds in the room because my heart beat loudly in my ears. I forced myself to stare at the two pink, fresh scars on the right side of Paul's naked chest. I knew without a doubt that those scars were from the bullet wounds he had received that day in La Push. I had purposefully avoided staring at them for nearly two days in that room. How long had it been since that day he was shot? Considering how much Paul had healed, I would say three weeks at least.

Had I really lost so much time? Why can't I remember anything? I have no idea where I am or how I even got here.

My own thoughts were going to drive me off the deep end.

My stomach chose that moment to announce itself. It grumbled loudly, which caused Paul's incessant shaking to stop abruptly. He pulled me ever closer to him, closing any gaps there were between us. My stomach flipped as I felt a wave of nausea. How could I be so hungry, yet nauseous at the same time?

I was forced to let go of his forearm because of the awkward angle the new position created. I wrapped both my arms around his waist and buried my face in his muscular neck.

Just I was getting settled into the new position, a loud, rabid snarl startled me. I flinched in Paul's lap as an equally hot, hard body pressed up against my back. However, my body reacted on its own accord… a shiver ran down my spine causing a spread of warmth deep inside me. I gasped in Paul's ear as I felt a new set of hot hands through the thin material draped over my hips. Paul's hands simultaneously released me like he had been burned. I was abruptly pulled away from Paul, which caused me to accidentally scratch his back with my nails.

_Shit! Why_ _is Paul letting me go?_

I briefly struggled in this new grip, that is, until I was twirled around and I saw who was holding me just as closely as Paul had been moments before.

_Jake._

Billy Black's mentally unstable son was clinging onto me like a gecko on glass. He adjusted the silky robe I had on so that it covered as much of my body as possible. His light touches were causing an uncomfortable fluttering and warmth to gather in between my legs.

Why was I reacting this way? I've never been so turned on in my life! And I hardly knew anything about the guy…

…Well, other than the fact he was one fine piece of eye candy.

There was a constant, deep rumbling coming from his chest that pulled me from my crazy thoughts.

My eyes flicked across the room. I noted the two armed guards standing by each set of doors. The fancy furniture and décor was off-putting. And Emily's Sam was sitting on his heals glaring at me…

…Well, not me, but the gorgeous man holding me.

I nearly tweaked my neck trying to get a good look of Jake's face because he was holding me so tight. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was on top of cloud nine as he inhaled deeply.

_Pure bliss._

That's what I could see from his face.

_Ugh! What a creep!_

And yet my body continued to react as I felt the warmth continue to pool between my legs.

Why the hell was I reacting like this!?

I was terrified and confused, but my traitorous body felt drawn to this _insanity _that continued to unfold.

He opened his eyes, which were the darkest shades of black I'd ever seen. It was too intense. My pulse fluttered frantically.

_This was too much!_

I struggled against his tight grip, but this only made things much, _much _worse. My senses went hyperactive; I could feel my nipples harden from the friction against his muscular chest. Again, I shifted in his lap in some sort of feeble attempt to cool the radiating heat growing in my belly. However, like a snowball effect, my body's reactions continued to escalade. Which resulted in me panting like a slut.

Jake groaned audibly causing blood to pool in my cheeks which made me thankful for the first time in months for my darker skin tone.

I can handle teasing, but I had no idea how I should handle this. I had no experience in being physical with a guy, Frankie and his loyal group of friends _always_ scared off any guy that was remotely interested in me. The only thing I've ever done that was physical was when I kissed a boy in my class when I was 16. Somehow Frankie had heard about it, even though he was 20 at the time, he asked one of his friend's younger brothers to "handle it". The boy showed up to school the next day with a busted lip. I didn't talk to Frankie for a week, until I got him back by putting superglue on his beer while laughing hysterically as his hand got stuck to the bottle.

I still think I should have put Nair in his shampoo. That would have taught him to butt out.

I felt an intense, wet pressure on my neck as well as Jake's hot breath. Did Jake just bite my neck? I froze like a deer in the headlights.

'_It was more of a nip than an actually bite',_ A small voice stated in my head.

Still…WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON!?

I sat their frozen, frustrated, confused… and still turned on.

I should have never come to La Push. I should have stayed with Christine back in Jersey. The only reason I didn't jump on that opportunity was because she refused to take down the photos of her and Frankie. A part of me couldn't blame her, but the more selfish part wouldn't have been able to handle all those constant reminders of him.

The double doors burst open abruptly, the scary, fat man walked in with an older, well-dressed guy following closely behind. I tensed and Jake shot up to his feet and spun around to face the men. His actions caused me to have my back facing towards the group of strangers, which made my nerves bubble and churn in my stomach. If it wasn't for the fact I was now facing towards Paul's murderous glare, I would have run screaming from the room.

"Set her down." I heard the fat man order Jake.

I made an attempt to twist around to face the crowd of people now piling into the room. I began to feel even more self conscious regarding my state of dress. What does a girl have to do to get a shirt around here? Or do I even want to know the answer?

Everyone besides Jake, Paul, Sam, and the well-dressed dude had some sort of weapon in their hands. Of course, I didn't have a weapon either, which made me feel like once again, my life was going to become even more complicated.

"Come on, come on." The fat man coaxed Jake like trying to coax candy from a baby.

A warning growl escaped from between Jake's lips.

"Jacob!" Sam barked.

_Jacob? _I guess that Jake was just a nickname?

"Give her to Paul."

Another rumble resonated from deep in his chest, but he followed out Sam's order. Like a toddler, I was carefully handed off between the two men. They were careful not to show off my goods. But I couldn't help but feel that all eyes were on me and my skimpy outfit.

I felt safe in Paul's arms but it wasn't the same as Jake's. I was uncomfortable as I felt Paul's hands supporting my thighs and my arms were laced around his neck. Wasn't I heavy? I wonder what his girlfriend would think of him holding me? Then it occurred to me…

_What if Jake had a girlfriend?_

I really knew nothing about him. It was plausible for him to be taken already, I mean, he was so good looking. How could he not be?

"What is this, Anson?" I heard the impatience in Jake's voice.

I desperately wanted to twist around to see what was going on but I was far too out of my element to move. I was again frozen in another man's arms.

"We have to get your measurements." The fat man's voice was laced with cockiness, "We can't have you showing up to work in those khaki shorts that you lot were wearing earlier."

It was dead silent after that. I could hear someone shuffling around as Jake was being measured for what I assume would be a suit that every other guard was wearing.

"Alright," I could hear the smile in the fat man's voice, "Let's go show the lovely, young lady where she will be staying for the unforeseeable future, shall we?"

Oh…

He better not be fucking talking about me.

A loud chuckle sounded in the room as I twisted around to see the evil, fat man laughing his ass off at Jake's reaction.

He certainly had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh…

…like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

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><p>I swear I could taste the animosity in the air as Jake, Paul, and Sam followed the fat man down a long hallway. Seriously, the atmosphere in the house was as welcoming as a bacon sandwich at a Bar Mitzvah. Yet, Paul hadn't put me down on my feet, forcing me to stare at the <em>friendly-looking <em>armed guards closely following us. The house was like a maze inside and each room we passed was filled with flossy shit.

If I wasn't antsy before, I certainly was now. What was the fat man talking about? I could only (naïvely) hope that they were talking about another girl, even though I was the only girl present this evening.

We went through a door and the first thing I noticed was how much cooler the night air was. Goose-bumps developed all over me, shivering, I gripped tighter onto Paul's hot body. We walked out into an open pool area that was surrounded by the walls of the house, like a courtyard. The pool was lit up and obviously heated. Copious amounts of steam rose up from the water's surface, which was currently a pinkish hue from the lights. We stopped at the West end of the pool at a set of French doors, which were opened by one of the bodyguards. The fat man motioned for us to enter the room.

The first thing I noticed about the room was that behind a darkwood, carved bartop was a huge mirror covering the entire wall. In front of the mirror were shelves filled with every alcoholic beverage – reflecting back at us. There were two pool tables in front of the bar. Like everything else in the house, the room was sleek, stylish, and beyond expensive. The room had hardwood floors and every single piece of cream colored furniture matched it perfectly.

To Paul's right, the biggest TV I had ever seen was surrounded by furniture to create a trumped out entertainment area.

"She can sleep here for the time being, that is, as long as she doesn't get in the way," the fat man stated as he gestured to one of the couches that had a folded-up blanket next to the gigantic TV.

"You have got to be joking, Anson." Jake growled out as his body trembled.

_How the hell did this happen?_

_Could someone please explain to me why I am sleeping here?_

_So the trigger-happy man's name is Anson?_

I wanted to tell Jake to shut his trap. I didn't want Anson anywhere near me after what happened less than an hour ago. Why did he have to argue with him? It'll only piss him off…

…I really, _really _don't like it when he's pissed.

That Russian roulette adventure was _not_ something I wanted to experience again.

Plus, _I need some friggin' answers._

"How 'bout a thank you," Anson snapped, "It's either this, or I've got a fantastic basement she can sleep in."

There were two sets of growling now.

"Jake." Sam barked, which resulted in both Paul and Jake to stop their growling.

"Now, you three are welcome to leave," Anson pointed at the Quileute men, "but, Jake, I expect to see you here again if you want to spend any time with your girl."

_Your girl?_

_Okay, they're still talking about me?_

_Since when did I become his?_

_What the fuck is going on?_

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><p><em>Review please.<em>


	11. Chapter 10: GWFH

**Thank you everyone who reviewed. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10:<strong> Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

"_We learn from history that we do not learn from history_"

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><p>Anson left the room immediately after giving the La Push boys the okay to leave, not before mentioning that their truck was parked out front.<p>

I loosened my grip on Paul's shoulders so I could look him in the eye, "What the hell was he talking about, Paul?" I growled out, that's right, I growl too, "Why am I staying here?"

Paul's dark eyes shot daggers over in Jake's direction, who didn't even realize that Paul was basically giving him the death stare. Paul jaw muscles flexed as he clenched his teeth and Jake continued to spastically pace next to one of the pool tables.

Why was he staring at Jake? Why wasn't he answering?

I had no patience left, so I peaked over Paul's shoulder to see Sam slouching on one of the bar stools, "Sam?"

At least _someone_ wasn't afraid to give me some answers. Sam twisted around to face me better as he opened his mouth to finally explain what the hell was going on when Paul interrupted him with an un-human growl. My neck nearly snapped off as my eyes met the side of Paul's snarling face.

"Well?" I tried again to get some answers.

Paul stopped his snarling, but he continued to glare back at Sam who was dishing out an equally fierce stare in return.

"It was the price that had to be paid for Anson getting you back from the…" Sam cleared his throat, uncomfortably, "human-traffickers."

"What?" My brain couldn't digest this, "What human-traffickers?"

Paul scoffed, "Who do you think put you in that outfit, Lexi?"

I chose to ignore Paul's statement, which was the opposite of helpful…

_Why couldn't we all just leave together? _I was about to open my mouth to speak my mind, but I guess a small part of me knew better. There was a butt-load of armed guards working for the devil's apprentice, otherwise known as Anson. The La Push boys weren't going to risk what lives they had for little ol' me.

I couldn't blame them. At all.

"Paul," I started to disengage myself from Paul's grip, "You should go home to Rachael, who is probably worried sick about you."

Paul just had this dumb, surprised look on his face. Seriously, he was looking at me like I had grown a second head.

"Close your mouth, Paul." I shoved my palm under his chin, effectively shutting his mouth, "It's not attractive." I added seriously.

Paul continued to stare at me like I was some sort of circus freak, which was really not helping me keep my cool.

"Paul—" Sam started to speak, but I cut him off.

"You too, Sam, but go home to Emily, not Rachael. That would be weird. I know for a fact that she is waiting for you." _Shit. I'm starting to ramble. This was not a good sign_. "In fact, you all should leave before I drag you all down." I crossed my arms in front of me defensively, "This whole thing has been my fault."

"Lexi—" Jake shook his head and started walking towards me.

"No, Jake." I put my right arm up to stop him from coming any closer, "I heard what Anson said and there is no way you are going to work for him. I'll speak to him myself and get you out of this mess."

"But—" Jake started to protest.

"No!" I shouted as I clenched my fist, "God damn it, Frankie, you can't protect me forever!" I glared at Jake as I attempted to catch my breath after yelling.

"Frankie?" Jake asked with an unreadable expression.

_Woah_. Did I accidentally call Jake Frankie? It just kind of slipped out.

Frankie was always trying to protect me like a little sister, but he was gone. Everyone I ever loved deeply was either dead or stuck in a care facility back in Jersey. I knew to keep people further than arms reach. I've certainly learned my lesson. This has to be, hands down, the worst shit I've ever pulled anyone into.

"Just go," I wasn't going to budge, "You all have responsibilities back home. The last thing you need to be worrying about is me. You people don't even _know_ me."

Paul and Sam were having a silent conversation while Jake had so many different expressions running across his face that I couldn't read them fast enough.

"Lexi—" Sam opened his mouth.

"Enough, Sam." I stopped him, "It's not that hard, just walk away."

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><p><strong>Paul's POV<strong>

"Just go," Lexi pleaded, "You all have responsibilities back home." She looked all of us in the eye, "The last thing you need to be worrying about is me."

I have to admit that she was good. But there was one thing I knew better than the back of my own hand—women. I knew exactly what she was doing, only because I had done it so many times before. She was pushing everyone away because she was scared and confused. We couldn't argue with her because she didn't even let us start and if we somehow got around that we would only yell until we were both hoarse.

_I knew exactly what she needed._

"You people don't even _know_ me."

Damn, this girl wouldn't budge.

I made eye contact with Sam before I spoke to him outside of human hearing range, "If you aren't going to do anything about this, I might as well, 'cus we both know Jake is as useful as a limp dick."

He nodded in agreement and stood from his seat, "Lexi—"

"Enough, Sam." I stopped him, "It's not that hard, just walk away."

_Damn, _I thought as I shook my head. My alpha wasn't always completely worthless, but he had no idea how to handle a woman like Lexi.

I knew exactly what she needed… Jake's dick.

I saw how she reacted to Jake earlier and _damn, _all I could ask was why the hell did Jake of all people imprint on this girl? They were total opposites. Jake was the biggest pussy on the planet and I have numerous accounts to back up my statement. First, if Jacob Black had a pair, that _vampire-lover_ would never have walked all over him and then left him hanging like a pair of blue balls…Literally. Second, his best friends are tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber. Third, he runs away with his tail between his legs at every opportunity he gets.

Then there was _this_ fine, hellcat standing in front of me. Lexi had the biggest pair of balls I'd ever seen on a girl. If I had the choice I would switch her with Jake. I bet she would have made a fine wolf. Hell, then Leah would shut up about being the only girl.

And to further my point about Jake, I couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for him as he just stood there pouting like the little kid he is. _Just look at him_, his shoulders are slumped and he has his lower lip sticking out like a little bitch. Never mind, I take back what I said. I don't feel sorry for him…_at all. _

He is not going to get Lexi's attention looking like that. If they ever get together, I hope that Lexi knocks some sense into Jake's head. _Psh_. They are never going to get together…

…unless I do something about it.

"Paul," Lexi put her hand on one of her fine hips, "If you have something to say just say it!" She huffed.

_Damn, she's hot when she's angry. If I wasn't imprinted…_

"'Cus you can't just keep staring." I saw a slip in her confidence as she broke eye-contact and blood rushed to her cheeks.

I smirked as I advanced toward her, "You can't handle it, _babe_?"

"Cocky, are we?" She crossed her arms and pushed out her chest.

"You haven't seen nothin' yet, _Hon._" I smirked and ignored Jake's pathetic puppy growls.

"You're _right_." She smirked as she quirked one of her eyebrows, "I _haven't._"

I continued to advance on her and I wasn't surprised when she refused to budge even though we were nearly chest to chest. She glared up at me.

"Don't strain your neck, sweetheart," I smirked, referencing her height, "Here, you can come back to where you belong." I opened my arms pretending to get ready to pick her up.

I knew that Jake wasn't going to let that slide, so I wasn't surprised when Jake pushed me away from her.

"Get away from her, asshole!"

I laughed as he got all up in my space with his chest jutted out.

"I'm sorry, angel," nearly doubled over from laughter, I motioned to Jake, "This is why we can't just walk away."

"Paul!"

Jake lunged which resulted in me having to dive out of the way. Fighting would only make Jake's situation worse. I quickly got back on my feet when I realized that Jake was going to try to take me down again. I could only hope that he didn't act like a total pussy and actually manned up. _Damn, what am I saying?_

"He wants to wet his dick!" I shouted just before Jake got the upper hand and took me to the ground.

"Paul!" Jake shouted as he clocked me right in the mouth, "You're such an ass!"

Sam decided to be useful and dragged Jake off me. I looked up from the floor at Lexi's surprised expression glued on a struggling Jake.

"What d'you mean, Paul?" Lexi frowned down at me after she tore her eyes away from Jake. I pushed myself up so that I could sit upright.

"Shut up, Paul!" Jake fought Sam's tight grip, "Don't listen to him, Lexi," Jake pleaded as he continued to struggle.

"Oh, so you're saying that you don't want to hit that?" I pointed at the only _fine ass_ woman in the room. _Come on, Jake._

Jake's entire face darkened a couple shades as he stopped struggling against Sam, "W-well… I-I…"

"Wait, wait, wait…" Lexi's cheeks darkened as she tore her eyes from Jake, "What does it matter that Jake wants to…" her cheeks got impossibly darker, "…do that."

_Oh, I'd bet my left nut that she's a virgin._

"Well, what do you think of him?" I asked her.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she crossed her arms defensively.

"Do you think he's hot?" I asked her seriously.

Lexi scoffed and rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to immediately shoot down Jake, but then her eyes darted over towards him and she bit down on her lip. Her eyes drank in Jake's body which hung pathetically in Sam's grip as he waited for her answer. She was obviously uncomfortable as she chewed on her lower lip, "Sure." She replied as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, Jake here likes you…" I had to think over my words, this was not going as smoothly as I planned. Fuckin' Jake needed to man up right now.

"…And I can vouch that he'll treat you right."

I glanced over at Jake, who was pathetically looking hopefully at Lexi, while still being held up by Sam.

"What are you getting at, Paul?" Lexi looked down at her bare feet, still chewing on her lip.

"I think Jake should answer that." I glared at Jake. _Man up, Jake_. _Man up!_ _Just for once think with your dick and not your pathetic pea brain!_

He cleared his throat as Sam let him go and he got to his feet. "Well, um," Jake nervously wrung his hands as he spoke, "I was hoping that I could take you out to dinner or something when all this is over."

This was one of those moments that you wanted to smack yourself in the forehead. _Why did I think that Jake could do this_?

"Oh," Lexi's lip was turning white from her biting it so hard, "Sure." She shrugged her shoulders as she continued to stare at the ground.

_I was not expecting that. _

Jake was smiling like he had just won the lottery.

I wanted to gag. I hope I wasn't this pathetic with Rachael. Which reminds me that Jake better get off my ass about imprinting on Rachael too, 'cus his complaining got old weeks ago.

Lexi glanced up at Jake through her eyelashes, her cheeks were flushed with her lip between her teeth, and she stood before him wearing fuck-hot lingerie.

Jake still looked as giddy as a kid after his mom told him they were going out to get ice-cream.

_How could he not see that she wanted his dick?_

Jacob Black is officially the biggest idiot on the planet.

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><p>Please, please, please tell me what you think. If you have questions, don't be afraid to ask. If anything is confusing, hopefully I can go back to explain it.<p> 


	12. Chapter 11: Murphy's Law

**A big thank you to all of those who reviewed and followed. It is exciting to see that some people are interested in this. **

**For those who are looking for more Jacob/OC...**I have been heavily inspired by such amazing stories as _Hidden Shine_, by Taurus Pixie, who is currently helping me along with this fic. I reciently read _Hidden__ Shine_, which is a riveting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Her OC in that fic is AmAzing! A confident woman who actually knows how to get things done... unlike _someone... *cough*..._we know. ****

****Come on SM...Why is it that all your female characters that have been rejected by their boyfriends go completely off their rockers? Its not healthy. On that note, don't bottle up your feelings either. Tell someone close to you about your problems. You're not being a burden! Good people actually like helping others feel better. ****

**End ramble. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Murphy's Law<strong>

"_Anything that can go wrong will go wrong"_

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><p>I shifted uncomfortably in my seat between Sam and Paul and I was thankful that the ride back to La Push was almost over. Paul's tiny pick-up was hardly made to fit three shifters comfortably. It didn't help that we had stopped for food at some drive-thru burger joint where Paul ordered extra onions. After all, it was Sam and I that had to sit for the entire car ride with those extra onions. We passed through Port Angeles ten minutes ago and no one had spoken a word. Paul had fallen asleep and his heavy snoring was like jackhammers on my nerves. I have no idea how my sister put up with him— the disgusting prick. Just as we left my imprint back at Anson's, Sam had called Billy from Emily's cell. So I'm sure that both Rachael and Emily knew that we were on our way home. I was not looking forward to explaining everything to dad once we got there. He didn't know that Lexi wouldn't be with us. He actually, didn't know anything because Sam kept the conversation brief by stating that we would explain everything in person and then abruptly hanging up.<p>

It had crushed me when I had to leave Lexi back at Anson's place. I wondered what she was doing now. I was surprised by how well she had handled everything and I thanked the spirits for blessing me with a strong imprint. I couldn't wait to see her again because I had it all planned out. I was going to ask Rachael and Emily if I could borrow some of their clothes so that Lexi wouldn't have to be wearing something so revealing around complete strangers. I was also planning on fixing up her car. I couldn't wait to see her face when I brought it back to her looking like it never had been wrapped around the Evergreen in front of Mr. Livingston's house.

I clenched my teeth together as we drove up to the small, red house I called home. I saw Rachael running barefoot towards us, she must have been waiting by the window for us to arrive.

"Paul!" she shouted, effectively waking him up from his nap. His neck snapped up as he searched alertly, but groggily at the same time for the source of Rachael's voice.

Sam took the key out of the truck's ignition in front of the house as Rachael nearly took the passenger door off of its hinges in attempt to get to Paul. I made a disgusted face as they started making out without any regard to my presence; I didn't want to see that. I quickly followed Sam out of the vehicle via the driver's side door.

"Made it back safely?" I heard my dad say as he wheeled himself outside the house towards Sam and me.

Sam nodded stiffly.

"Where's Lexi?" I could hear the nervous tone in my dad's voice.

"Let's go inside, Billy." Sam suggested.

The three of us went inside, leaving Paul and Rach out in his truck.

There was a thick silence that followed us into the living room. I glanced at Sam who was giving me an intense stare indicating that I was the one that should be doing the explaining. I let out a sigh before I started.

"Dad, Lexi is going to be staying in Seattle…for a while."

"Oh, well I can understand why she wouldn't want to come back here after what happened." Dad nodded, "You better bring her things back to her soon, boy…" Dad wheeled himself to face me as he gave me that 'parental' stare, "…and don't think you'll be living with her in Seattle either. You've got a responsibility here, son, for the tribe. Not to mention school too. I'm sure you and Sam will find some time to visit her and maybe even convince her to come back."

Sam cleared his throat, but didn't say anything, as if hinting for me to explain myself.

"I'm not going to be able to finish school, dad."

I braced myself for his response, and sure enough…

"I don't think so, boy!" My dad yelled as his face darkened in anger, "We've talked about this and you will finish school!"

"Dad, you don't understand—"

"I don't understand?" Billy shouted, "You don't understand! School is important and you will finish!"

"No, dad!" I argued back, "I can't. There is no time—and before you interrupt me again, just let me explain myself…"

I took a breath while making sure that dad wasn't going to butt in this time.

I explained to him what had happened today after we had picked up Paul from the Industrial district up until after we had gotten Lexi back. Dad had groaned and rubbed his head a couple times after I explained the events of the day, but I wasn't looking forward to telling him about what came next…

"Seems that after everything that happened, the people who helped me want me for a job—"

"What kind of job? Does it pay?" Dad asked with a confused expression.

"I don't know, but it's more of a 'we'll kill you if you don't do it' type of thing."

Dad's eyes darted back to Sam who was leaning against the door frame between the kitchen and living room. Sam hadn't moved since I started explaining things.

"I see," Dad sighed, "Well, son, you really screwed the pooch this time…" He shook his head, "…So I take it they're holding Lexi as some sort of leverage?"

"Yeah."

"Is she comfortable there at least?" Dad asked with concern, "I take it since you boys left her there that she's not being held by this Anson in a dungeon or anything?"

"She's comfortable," Sam finally spoke up in my defense, "Don't worry 'bout that, Billy."

Dad was about to reply when the house phone rang.

"Could you get that, Jacob?" Dad asked.

I nodded, mentally cursing out the person who was calling at such a late hour.

"Sam, could I talk to you outside." Dad asked rhetorically because he was already wheeling himself out the front door.

Were they keeping something from me? Did Dad really think that I was incapable of handling my imprint?

I angrily picked up the ancient phone off of the dock on the wall.

"Hello?" I growled into the phone, distracted by thoughts of Dad and Sam's separate conversation.

I heard an exhausted sigh before I heard the voice of the last person on the face of the planet that should be calling me.

"Jacob." I heard Cullen's unnatural voice speak my name. I briefly wondered if he would feel any pain if I ripped out his throat.

"What do you want, leech?" I snarled.

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><p>Twenty minutes after the unexpected—and unwanted—phone call from leech I ran through the forest in my wolf form. The uncharacteristically clear sky above was beginning to lighten as dawn approached. The leech had been vague during his phone call, only stating that Bella was asking for me. Why? I have no idea. I only knew that their timing was poor. I planned on being at Anson's in the mid-afternoon and I had quite a drive ahead of me. I had barely gotten a lick of sleep in the past week and I can't remember the last time I took a shower. My only hope was that I smelled even worse to the leeches because of it.<p>

I laughed out loud at my thoughts, but because I was in my wolf form, it came out as a yip.

I arrived at the Cullen's mansion; I didn't know why we couldn't have just met at the border like normal. I phased and put my shorts on before coming out of the covering of the surrounding trees. I couldn't stop the unintentional gag from the stench around the house— it felt like someone shoved a bunch of bleach-laced sharpies up my nose and down my throat.

I took my time as I walked up the front steps, before I could knock on the front door it opened. My gaze met the welcoming, golden eyes of Esme. I felt my hackles rise. I could never get used to being around them without the instinct to attack rising within me.

I nodded my head in greeting as she smiled back at me, however her display of teeth, no matter its intentions, only riled my wolf.

"Come in, Jacob." She said as she welcomed me into the house as the doctor joined her side.

"Bella is upstairs, Jacob." The doc stated, "Follow me."

I noted the fluttering of a single heartbeat upstairs— must be Bella. I really didn't need a guide to find the only human in a ten mile radius. Despite this, I followed the doctor up the stairs, still struggling to ignore the intense stench of leech.

We entered one of the spacious rooms on the second story of the house. I had to stop in my tracks once I noted that the entire Cullen family was there besides Esme who was still downstairs. My wolf snarled at the amount of vamps packed into the room. I thought the smell was bad before, but now the stench was thick. It saturated the entire room.

There were five pairs of golden irises directed at me. Carlisle was the only one who was looking away. I followed his gaze to the couch and the sound of the solitary beating heart. Bella.

She was tucked under a blanket while lying down on a couch. Her eyes were closed indicating that she was asleep. I started to initiate a step towards her when I noticed how grey and thin her skin looked. Then, I noticed how her normally lush hair looked as weak and colorless as her skin. I finally noticed, just by looking at her face, how much weight she had lost since the last time I saw her— at the wedding.

"What's wrong with her?" I blurted out, loudly.

A hiss erupted from the bitchy blonde one standing protectively above Bella.

Several seconds of silence followed as everyone's gaze but the bitchy blonde locked onto Bella's sleeping form. I ignored the solitary death glare coming from the blonde vamp bitch and walked towards the couch. I almost stopped walking when the bitch twitched as if to lunge at me, but she was held back by her mate. I crouched down beside Bella and reached for her hand. I had to bite back the gasp when I felt how cold her skin was.

More time had passed, yet no one had answered my question.

I looked up towards Edward who was hovering over Bella just like the blonde female. His face appeared to be permanently plastered into a pained scowl. He looked like someone had driven his expensive car off a 100 foot cliff right after mowing down his grandmother.

It was like a lightbulb turned on in my head.

He had done this to her. This was his fault. I could just tell by the look on his face.

His beady black eyes met mine and his face warped into a confirmation of sorts. I knew he could hear my thoughts.

_He did this!_

I had to take a couple steps away from Bella as my entire body trembled. I didn't know if I could prevent myself from phasing right next to her, seeing that she was no longer the center of my entire world.

The mind-raping leech's surprised eyes met mine.

_Stop reading my mind!_

The intrusion only fueled my barely contained rage. I needed to get this over with.

"What's wrong with her?" I turned to face the doctor.

I could tell that the doc was apprehensive in telling me as his eyes met his son's.

"Look you're the one who called me," I spoke through cleaned teeth as I attempted not to raise my voice, "So, just get out with it."

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><p>I didn't last one minute in the Cullen house after Edward opened his mouth. I after a visual confirmation of the unnatural pregnancy I had to leave. I fought the urge to phase as well as the urge to vomit. Just the thought of it—<p>

I had to take a break from running altogether as my wolf gagged and heaved next to one of the trees near the border.

This received the attention of both Jared and Embry, who were both on patrol at the time.

I didn't even know if a shifter could throw up. It hasn't happened yet to any of us and I wasn't going to be the first.

"_Dude_?" Embry's mental voice filled my mind, a welcome distraction from the unwanted mental images in my mind.

I shook out my coat and began to sprint back to La Push. However, the image of a pregnant, sickly Bella flashed in my mind.

"_What the hell, man_?" I could feel Jared's disgust through the link, "_That's sick!"_

I snarled as I took my pent up rage out on a fallen tree. The rotting wood smashed effortlessly beneath my claws.

I really needed to tear into a vamp right now, the log just wasn't cutting it.

Pieces of my earlier conversation with the Cullens arose. I was swimming deep in a pool of rage as I carelessly tore through the forest. I was in so lost in my own thoughts that I hadn't heard Jared call the rest of the pack.

"**STOP**!" Sam's alpha voice caused my body to halt midstride.

I almost fell on my snout.

I shook my head angrily as seven other thoughts shouted at me for my carelessness. Apparently I had dashed across the highway, but luckily no one had been around to see me.

This knowledge sobered me up a bit.

"_Why are we out here_?" Quil asked groggily. I could feel his annoyance in the link. He had just patrolled ten hours over the night and was absolutely exhausted.

"_Yeah_," Paul agreed, _"If we_ _came out just because Jake's having a mental break I'm going to be pissed_."

"_Jake's gone_ _completely mental over there, Sam_!" Jared shouted through the link, _"It's_ _difficult to sort out his thoughts."_

"J_acob_!" Sam barked gruffly, _"What the hell is going on?"_

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><p><strong><em>Please review.<em> Next chapter will take place back in Seattle**. **Also, **I love a strong female role, that's why we all are going to see a lot more of a certain hot-headed female wolf in a couple chapters. ****


	13. Chapter 12: Prevention Paradox

Hey guys. Thank's for reading. I have an exam on Wednesday, so keep reviewing and maybe I'll be motivated to post the next chapter after Wednesday.

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: Prevention Paradox<strong>

****Leah's POV****

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><p><em>"<em>_For one person to benefit, many people have to change their behavior — even though they receive no benefit, or even suffer, from the change."_

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><p>If someone had told me when I woke up this morning that I would never have to step foot in my back-stabbing cousin's kitchen ever again I would have smacked them for being in my bedroom without my permission.<p>

Yet, I found myself riding a shuttle from Port Angeles up the I-5 toward SeaTac Airport. It had been years since I had been to the big city, since before Dad died. The city air blew through the open window above me reminding me of the huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I was free of Sam's pack which meant no more bon fires, no more pack meetings at their house, and biggest of all was that no one would be able to force me into going to their wedding.

After all, my new alpha owes me _big time_.

I can't believe that he had forgotten about his imprint. It twisted the proverbial knife deeper when I reminded him of his situation. How did he expect to single-handedly protect the Cullens and his imprint, who was nearly 150 miles away? I can remember how his face paled when her name rolled off my tongue.

_I willed my bare feet to push me closer toward the boarder. My heart was pounding, not only at the pace I was pushing in my human form, but the idea of being able to leave the hell I currently was trapped in. I ran slower in my human form, but everyone was phased in and I couldn't risk them finding out my plans. They would be able to hear my thoughts and someone would be sent to intercept immediately. _

_I panted as my lungs burned and my thighs ached. I had a feeling like there was someone following behind me, which made me push faster. I wasn't at the boarder yet, and I certainly was not going to give up this once in a lifetime opportunity without a fight. _

_A wave of relief passed over my entire body once I crossed the imaginary line, but I knew exactly where it was. The scent of my brothers previous patrol trails faded and I coughed at the increasing scent of the bloodsuckers. I wasn't going to stop running until I reached the Cullen's. _

_It was almost noon now and Jacob had broken off more than four hours ago after Sam and some of the others agreed to an immediate attack on the Cullens. Sam's plan of a surprise attack would fail with Jacob's forewarning though, so it was called off temporarily. After Jake's split, there was almost an unbearable hour of arguing in wolf form about what should be done. I had to keep my thoughts of leaving out of my head and decided on arguing in favor of an attack to keep people suspicions off of me. Seth had made it difficult, though, spending most of his time arguing with me in favor of the Cullens. _

_I couldn't take any more of the six other bickering thoughts, so I announced that I was going back to my house to eat lunch. My breakfast had been interrupted by several howls from Jared. In human form, Seth followed me back home and annoyingly continued to argue. Thankfully, I was able to eat in silence. Sam had told the rest of the pack to meet back at Emily's after a small break to finish whatever we were doing before the whole fiasco. Thankfully, it hadn't been an order. So I slipped out of the house without Seth's knowledge. _

_Ahead of me, I could see the clearing in the trees before the Cullen mansion. I sighed in relief as I began to slow down to catch my breath, now my nose and lungs burned from breathing in the stench of leech. _

_A twig snapped behind me and I spun around with a gasp. _

_Jacob's russet wolf snarled at me as he advanced slowly. _

"_Don't worry, Jake, I'm not here for your precious leeches." I grumbled as I crossed my arms defensively._

_He snarled again._

"_I can't understand wolf, Jacob," I scoffed, "So phase back."_

_He literally followed out my request and phased on the spot, standing naked in front of me. My nose scrunched up in disgust as I averted my eyes. I heard some ruffling of clothes and I was glad that he was putting on some pants._

"_What are you doing here, Leah?" he barked._

"_It's obvious, isn't it?" I snapped back, "I want to help, Jake. I want to be in your pack."_

"_Why?" He scowled at me, "You don't even like the Cullens and I know you certainly don't like me."_

"_It's better option." I mumbled toward the ground—not wanting to go into the specifics. You would think after being in my head for the past couple months that he would understand that I hated being around my ex. _

_He scoffed, "Go back, Leah," he pointed back to the reservation._

"_Is that an order?" I asked with my right eyebrow arched._

"_No!" Jacob shouted. I knew he hated the idea of taking away someone's free will. That was why we had both agreed on how messed up imprinting was…_

_But now I know better._

"_Face it, Jake, you need me." _

"_I don't –"_

_I cut him off, "How do you expect to help the Cullens by yourself?" I asked, "What about your imprint?"_

_I watched the blood drain from his face._

I knew now that imprinting doesn't take away your free will. Jacob was still the same—obsessed with Bella Swan.

If Jake could forget about it so easily, what does that mean for me?

Sam was just an asshole thinking with his dick who cheated on me for my cousin. It was as simple as that.

"_Shit!" Jacob shouted as he ran both his hands through his hair. He paced in front of me, obviously agitated by the current situation. He picked up a rather large rock and threw it angrily between the trees toward the grey sky above us. How did that help anything? Why do guys always throw shit when they're angry?_

"_Calm down, Jake." I shook my head and scoffed._

"_What the fuck am I supposed to do, Leah!" he exclaimed, "I'm supposed to be in Seattle tonight!"_

_I wanted to say 'Ask yourself who's more important', but I kept my mouth shut. I'm not sure I wanted to know the answer. What if he chose Bella? _

"_I'll go." I blurted out. _

"_What?" Jake's eyes got as wide as saucers._

"_I'll go to Seattle." I repeated, "That way you can stay here."_

"_Why?" He asked._

_What a stupid question. Jeez, he is so dense._

"_Because you have that thing with your imprint," I explained to him, "Quil told me all about it on patrol."_

"_No, I mean, why are you doing this for me?" he asked, incredulous._

"_I need this, Jake." I explained, "I need to be in your pack. I need to get away from Sam and move on with my life."_

_He was silent as he thought over what I just told him. His brows furrowed as he stared intensely at the moss covered soil under our bare feet._

"_Fine, but be careful, Leah." He warned like he actually cared, "You have no idea what Anson is like."_

Even though I was wearing a suit that belonged to the blonde vamp, I haven't been this happy in over a year. The itchy feeling from wearing actual clothes—instead of basketball shorts or cheap cotton dresses—couldn't bring my spirits down.

Once I arrived at the airport, I hailed a taxi, which I would have to pay for with some of the money the bloodsuckers gave me. Jake had told the leeches that I had to go to Seattle today. They offered for me to take one of their cars, but I refused. There was no way I was going to deal with the leeches' stench in a tiny vehicle for the long drive to Seattle, the clothes were bad enough. I had run in wolf form to Port Angeles with the clothes in a plastic baggy. I changed in the covering of the trees and walked in stiletto heels to the shuttle's station. I can't believe Jake convinced me to wear this shit. I can't imagine how Blondie felt about it. I didn't even want to think about how expensive this outfit was.

At almost five o'clock, I arrived at the address Jake had given me. The shuttle had left at one o'clock, but took a little over three hours because of all the stops it made.

The cab drove up to metal gate and stopped. I paid the driver and got out with the small bag that I didn't see why I needed, except that it held my cotton dress to change back into if I needed. I walked up to the gate and noticed the panel with a keypad on it. I pressed the 'speaker' button with vigor, but didn't bother to say anything. The gate buzzed a couple seconds later and slowly swung open. I walked down the long driveway in my stupid heels.

Even though I had seen his memories of Anson's mansion, I was still surprised by how incredibly large it was. I walked past the manicured bushes and perfect lawn and reached a large fountain in the center of the circle driveway. The mansion's walls were made with tan stucco, which made it look like it belonged in a warmer climate. I stepped up onto the first large steps before the large front door opened up and two well-dressed men came out.

"Who are you?" One spoke with a deep voice.

I looked him over with a critical eye. Beneath the suit, I could tell that he was very well built, but being human, I could easily take him out. I felt my ego swell as he openly checked me out. After being constantly treated like just another one of the guys in the pack, I have to admit that it was nice to be appreciated by a good-looking man.

"I'm a friend of Jake's, he was here yesterday." I stated, "I need to talk to Anson."

"Ah, I thought I heard my name." I heard a voice shout from inside the house as the man I recognized from Jake's memory came through the front door. He had a bit of stubble growing on his chin, but other than that he looked the same.

"Now, what can I do for you, Miss?" He asked as he shoved his hands into his suit pockets.

"I came as a favor for Jake." I shrugged, "I need to fill in for him tonight."

"Is that so?" He raised his eyebrows and let out a gravely chuckle.

By his tone I knew that he was not happy.

"Well you can tell Jake that if I don't see his ungrateful ass on these steps by tomorrow night, he can kiss our deal goodbye." He shouted as his face turned beet red.

I felt a wave of dread, but refused to show it on my face. I didn't want to ruin things for Jake, he would never forgive me.

"You don't think I can do the job?" I asked, hotly, as I cocked my eyebrow.

He barked out a laugh, "Oh, sweetheart," he chuckled, "I _know_ you can't. Jake's going to be working for me as a bodyguard. I've seen what he's capable of singlehandedly." He paused to laugh at me again, "What do you weigh? A buck thirty? A buck forty?"

The guards joined him in laughter.

I smirked at them, "What do I have to do to prove myself?"

They stopped laughing when they saw the confidence in my expression.

"I don't want to see a pretty face like yours ruined, sweetheart." He pouted for effect.

I bit back a laugh at this. If only they knew.

"Don't worry 'bout me." I tilted my head cockily.

I waited as Anson mulled over my request.

I knew what he had seen when Jake pretty much slaughtered those men in the abandoned building where the disgusting maggots were holding his imprint. I didn't have to hold back here. I had to impress Anson to save the imprint _and _Jake.

"Fine." He agreed and immediately motioned his men to attack.

I didn't wait. I dropped my bag before I bolted toward the guard closest to me. He threw a punch, which I didn't even bother to block or dodge. I'll admit that I felt it, but the pain it brought was only an annoyance, whereas I heard the bones break in his hand as his fist connected with my face. Before he was able to cry out I wrapped my fingers around his throat and lifted him completely off his feet with one hand. I held him off the ground as he thrashed and kicked the air, choking and scratching at my hand on his throat.

I smirked at the second guard and Anson, who were just standing there with dumbfounded expressions as I held the 200 pound man off the ground. He started to lose consciousness, so I chucked him at the second guard, who quickly got out of the way.

The second guard was a little more strategic after watching his comrade get his ass handed to him.

My next victim pulled out a handgun. I knew that getting shot would hurt like a bitch, so I tried to get to him as fast as possible. As I ran I could see that he was tensing up, so I crouched down right in time because the gun fired. I lunged from my crouch, resulting in me barreling into the man. However, I knew a human would get seriously injured if I didn't cushion the fall. I hugged him tightly and gripped the back of his head with my right hand just before we fell onto the pavement. I was right to protect his head because the back of my hand stung like a bitch as the skin scraped off against the rough surface of the driveway.

Disoriented from the fall, I ripped the gun from his hand, but flinched as I accidentally broke his finger, which had been on the trigger.

He cried out in pain and clutched his hand as I stood back up aiming his own firearm at him as I backed up towards Anson.

"Well, shit." Anson exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"So, can I fill in?" I asked seriously.

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><p>Tell me what you think.<p> 


	14. Chapter 13: Observer's Paradox

**Everyone! **

**I've split this story. I felt like it would be too confusing to follow Leah's POV and Lexi and Jake. So there is going to be a story based solely on Leah and her time working for Anson. Its called, _A Never Ending Uphill Battle_, so check it out. There will be a lot of overlap, but in her POV. Tell me what you think of it as well. The first chapter will be up in the next couple days. **

**Chapter 14 (next chapter), won't be up until late May. So there will be a wait. *Laughs evily*.**

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><p><strong><strong>Chapter 13<strong>: Observer's Paradox**

_'The outcome of an event or experiment is influenced by the presence of the observer.'_

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><p><strong>Jacob's POV<strong>

I had broken away from Sam's pack.

…_The worst mistake of my life._

But, it was too late to turn back, now. I was completely on my own—

_Or so I thought._

Running into Leah was like a bitter slap in the face.

_She had that affect on people._

It wasn't until my run in with her that I realized how badly I had fucked up. I don't understand how it happened. After I saw the swell on Bella's body, I felt a change in my wolf. I felt completely sick to my core. It was the first time my wolf and I were on the same page regarding Bella.

_The pregnancy wasn't right_. _Unnatural_.

I had been in shock.

_And he took over…_

…Which had never happened to me before.

Why not just stay with Sam? Why not kill her?

I was going to run in circles all day thinking about why. All I knew was that they needed to leave.

So here I stood in the living room of the Cullen mansion. The mind raper's unnaturally golden, beady eyes were staring at me with a furrowed brow. Alice was upstairs gathering something for Leah to wear to Seattle. She would be back any second now. Once Leah was on her way I would talk to the bloodsucker Brady Bunch about leaving Washington.

Alice came back down the steps, silently handing me the clothes, which smelled like leech and perfume.

Leah was going to _love_ wearing this.

I walked out of the house, thankful that I could finally breathe outside where the leeches' stench was less concentrated. I handed the bag full of clothes to Leah who was waiting on the driveway as a giant silver wolf. She grabbed the bag with her jaws.

"Be careful, Leah." I warned.

She graced me with a wolfish eye-roll before she bolted off.

I turned around to go back inside, but before I was able to get up to the front steps, the door opened. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, and Emmet came out with Mind-raper.

Carlisle spoke up, "Edward informed me of your concerns of our safety here in Forks," he paused glancing at his son, "and we all agree that it would be best for us to leave."

'_Good.'_ I thought

"However—"

_Shit._

"Bella wishes to stay."

_Fuck._

"Who cares!?" I snapped at Carlisle, "She is weak and she's _human_, pick her up and just get out of here!"

There were several scowls coming from the Cullens, the only exception was Carlisle and Jasper.

"You all would be fools to think that I can defend your home from the Pack by myself!" I shouted angrily, "I'm already sleep deprived and I don't have any desire to stay here any longer than I have to! I'll help you get out of Washington, I'll talk to Sam, but if you want to stay…"

_Would I still help them?_

"I won't be around to help." I grumbled, unsure of my words.

True, I needed to go back to Seattle. Lexi needs me now and I didn't have the Pack to back me up anymore.

"Jacob," Edward spoke grimly, "If we move, the stress it will have on Bella will be too much."

The thought of Bella dying was painful, I admit, but a part of me knew she was going to die no matter what I did. I felt my wolf snarling and clawing at his current lockdown. I was walking on thin ice right now, and the leeches' presence was not helping my control. Since the imprint, my wolf has been stronger and harder to keep at bay.

He was pissed that this girl, who wasn't his mate, had so much pull over me and he was pissed that I was letting myself get pushed around by these leeches.

'_I've known her all my life, it's called loyalty_,' I snapped at my snarling wolf, '_I thought you'd appreciate that_.'

'_You're a fool_.' He snarled back.

That's when everything went haywire.

For a brief second, it felt like someone was beating me over the head with a brick laced in lemon juice. There was a sour taste in my mouth and I had a splitting headache

My hand twitched when I went to grab my pounding head, but my arm didn't move. I tried screaming out, but my jaw remained clenched as my teeth ground together. A growl rose from my chest that was out of my control.

The pain receded, but the roles reversed and I felt myself sitting on the sidelines. I was just a spectator now. Is this how it felt to be him?

To say I felt pissed was an understatement.

Edward's eyes bugged out of his head and I'm sure that if vampires could piss themselves, he would have.

My mouth opened and words that weren't mine came from my lips, "At least then she'll be out of her misery! She's going to die anyway, might as well get it over with."

The look on their faces was priceless. I was pissed out of my mind that he said that, but I had to admit that their reaction was priceless.

"Leave before our offer drops off the table," I growled, "I advise you to get out of Washington by sundown."

My body turned away from the Cullens and I felt my body shift into my animal form.

I could feel his relief as he ran through the deep green forest. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

It was frustrating being able to feel everything that my body felt, but unable to control any movement. I felt my muscles tense and relax as I ran, I felt the cool vegetation beneath my paws, I could feel the wind through my fur, but no matter what I did I couldn't get my body to respond.

Even when I saw Paul's wolf tear through a full-sized evergreen while he charged at me.

My body came to a halt and I watched Paul's snarling form leap towards me before, to my horror, crashing down in front of me with an earsplitting yelp.

'_What did you do_!?' I screamed at my wolf.

I watched helplessly as Paul's wolf whimpered and squirmed against invisible chains holding him against the ground. I trotted to his side before plopping down next to him, and, to my horror, giving him friendly licks on his muzzle.

'_Gross!' _I thought. Paul didn't taste good at all.

Paul's lips pulled back to show his teeth, but his belly remained plastered to the earth.

I rested my muzzle on top of Paul's—who let out an annoyed huff.

We waited unmoving for several minutes, until I saw Jared's wolf cautiously emerge from the trees. He approached us with his belly low to the ground.

'_What are you doing to them?_' I asked, '_Why are they acting this way?!'_

No answer.

'_You're no better than Sam_!' I shouted.

Still nothing.

I couldn't hear anyone's thoughts, not even my wolf. The wolf only would communicate when it was beneficial to him or when he was insulting me.

All I could do was wallow in my own thoughts.

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><p><strong>Lexi's POV<strong>

I found myself sitting on the couch in front of the huge TV. It crossed my mind that this was probably the most expensive piece of furniture I've ever sat on in my entire life. There was some action flick playing on the screen that I have seemed to lose interest in. I was tired of being cooped up in this room already. I never liked watching TV, it reminded me of when I was small and I still lived with my adoptive parents. Once I moved in with Frankie and my adopted father's sister, we didn't have enough money to buy a decent TV.

So I stared at the pattern created by the fabric of the couch. I wasn't comfortable leaving the pool house in fear of running into Anson or one of the guards. I was still dressed like a whore and I don't think there was anyone who I could borrow clothes from. On top of that, I was starving out of my mind, having only eaten a bag of pretzels I found in the bar. I refused to venture outside.

I tried to recall the past couple days.

According to the date displayed on the guide on the satellite TV, it had been less than a week since I had been kidnapped out of La Push.

_So, how was it possible that Paul was up and walking after being shot twice in the chest?_

Unless they were a part of it, which was completely ridiculous.

There was something else going on with them, but I had no idea what it could be.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I heard the French door open behind me. I shot up to my feet.

The most stunning woman walked through the doors and she took in the rooms surroundings before her eyes settled on me. She was wearing an expensive-looking, dark suit, which clued me in that she probably worked for Anson. I could almost feel my blood pressure rise as she looked me up and down with a scowl on her face.

"Hey." She grumbled before she kicked off a pair of black stilettos and dropped a plastic bag next to the shoes.

She made her way around the couch, she moved fluidly towards me as she reached her right hand up for me to shake.

"Leah." She greeted me with a firm shake.

Her hand was really warm, I'm sure if I held onto it any longer mine would start to sweat.

"Lexi." I replied.

"I know." She huffed as she glanced around the room, "What'ya watching?"

Before I could answer, she spoke up, "You have anything to eat?" she groaned as she ran her fingers through her dark, cropped hair, "I'm fucking starving!"

"Umm," I think I ate all the pretzels, "There's alcohol in the bar," I stated.

She rolled her eyes before turning to make her way over to the drinks, "You don't say."

I was silent as she rummaged through the various drinks, the only sounds in the room were coming from the TV and the glasses clinking together as Leah looked through them.

It appeared as though she picked her poison because she made her way back towards me with a bottle of honey colored liquid inside. She plopped down onto the couch and pulled out the stopper on the bottle before basically downing the thing.

When she was done she coughed and her eyes watered, "That's better." She frowned up at me, "What are standing for?"

"No reason." I mumbled as I carefully sat down next to her.

This woman reminded me of Paul. A female Paul.

We remained silent, staring at the TV.

_God, I hate TV._

I was itching to go outside and do something.

"Oh, right." She jumped up, going back towards the pool doors.

She picked up the plastic bag, "I have something for you," She stated, pulling out a dirty piece of cloth from inside and handed it to me over the couch.

Once I had a better look at the cloth, I realized that it was a cotton dress that would have been white if it weren't for the dirt stains on it.

"Thank you." I smiled at her.

I was grateful that I could wear this dress instead of the lacy lingerie. I stood and let the silky robe fall off my shoulders, I could feel Leah's eyes on me, but ignored the feeling as I slipped the dress on over my head. I'm sure that the dress would have been on the shorter side for Leah because she was so tall, but I was only 5'6", so the dress fell mid-thigh. My finger tips traced the garter belt and stockings covering my legs. When I heard the sound of the fabric tearing, a smile appeared on my lips. I let the fabric fall to the floor, satisfied that it was now heaped in a pile and unusable.

I sighed as I put my legs up on the coffee table as I sunk back into the couch cushions. We sat and Leah watched the TV, flipping through the channels and finishing off the entire bottle of drink.

_How is she not completely smashed now?_

There was a knock outside the pool doors before two of Anson's bodyguards walked in with arms full of frilly looking, brightly colored shopping bags. The brand names plastered on the side of each bag I didn't recognize—the only exception being the unmistakable pink Victoria's Secret bags.

_What are these guys doing?_

Leah's expression mimicked mine, displaying terror towards the heaps of shopping bags.

"What is this?" She growled out toward the men.

"Anson said that you need to show up to work with proper attire," one guard smirked, "We do spend a lot of time at his club and I believe he wants you to blend in."

Leah glared daggers at him.

"Don't kill the messenger." The man put his hands up defensively.

"I made sure that not everything we got were dresses," the other guard spoke up, "You don't seem like a dress kind of gal."

Leah's posture relaxed a bit.

The first guard rushed out of the room and his partner soon followed him after setting down the final bags.

Leah shifted uncomfortably as she glanced at the bags with a sour look on her face.

To say I was confused would be an understatement. Had Leah not worked for Anson before?

"Is this your first day?" I asked the fidgety woman.

Her brow furrowed in response to my question. She didn't answer. Instead, she chewed on her lip while she stared at the bags like they had insulted her in some way.

I could empathize with her. The last time I got "new" clothes was when I was ten, anything I wore since then have belonged to Frankie or his mom, and occasionally a special thing or two from the thrift store.

Considering what she was wearing now, I don't think she had any trouble in the money department. What was she so upset about? I thought that girls like that would be jumping at the opportunity.

"Do you need some help lookin' through this stuff?" I asked cautiously, eyeing her clenched, white-knuckled fists.

"Sure." She spoke gruffly, "I ain't wearing a dress, so if you could find some pants or something."

I sat on my heels as we rummaged through the bags together. As I pulled out the various items of clothing, I coughed at the smell. Why do all malls smell the same way?

"These smell." I scrunched up my nose.

"You have no idea." She growled.

I sorted the clothing, making sure I set aside the clothing that wouldn't strangle me if I tried to wear it. First was a black pair of skinny jeans.

"Oh, good." Leah sighed in relief, "You found some pants."

Leah begun to discard the clothes she was wearing, but as she was unbuttoning her shirt I noticed that there was blood covering the cuff. I examined it from a distance, worried that she may have injured herself, but it didn't appear to be hers. Had she hurt somebody? Is this why she needed different clothes?

"I don't understand why I have to wear this shit." Leah huffed as she pulled off her bloody blouse, "You don't see any of the other _slaves_ wearing this."

"Because they'd look absolutely ridiculous if they did." I laughed as I held up a little black dress from the pile.

Leah swiped it from my hands angrily, but I could see her eyes sparkle lips twitching into a smile. She was absolutely beautiful when she didn't have a scowl on her face. She was about to chuck the dress when she hesitated to take a second look.

"That's actually not too bad." I commented, motioning to the dress.

Leah shrugged her shoulders and set it down on the arm of the couch, her actions confirmed that she agreed with my statement.

Leah unclasped her bra and begun to take that off too, so I glued my eyes on the TV. There was just some stupid commercial playing with food talking inside a refrigerator advertizing some sort of health-protein shake.

"Okay," Leah huffed, so I looked back in her direction, "This is the best that it's going to get."

She had the skinny jeans on as well as an itty-bitty, sequin top that was held up by two string-like straps. The shiny, gold color made her olive skin tone seem like it was glowing. The material fell loosely around her stomach and didn't even reach her belly button, showing off her toned stomach.

My only thought was, "Aren't you going to be cold?"

She chuckled bitterly, "Naw."

She picked at the edge of the material uncomfortably. Leah had an athletic body and I wondered what sports she played. She didn't seem like the type of person to just go to the gym to work out, but hey, you never know.

My stomach growled loudly, breaking the awkward silence in the room.

"When did you eat last?" She asked, the scowl on her face had returned.

I bit my lip as my stomach twisted painfully from hunger, "It doesn't matter," I replied, "I have barely eaten anything today."

"Shit, you're the skinniest chick I've ever seen," She stated as she pulled on her stilettos, "Let's go get some food in you."

"But I—"

Before I could get another word out she lifted me off the ground like a child. _Wow, she's strong_. Her fingers refused to let go of my arm as she basically dragged me out of my hideout. She walked fast for a woman in 4 inch heels. As we quickly passed by the pool, I noted that the sun was about to go down.

_Where was Jake?_

_What if he came looking for me in the pool house and I wasn't there?_

I started to hyperventilate as it felt like my heart was going to be ripped out of my chest.

_Motherfucker_!

That shit hurts.

_Smack!_

"Ah!" I grabbed my throbbing nose. "_Fuck!_"

I had run into Leah's solid back when she stopped rather abruptly. She twisted around to face me and I immediately forgot about my nose. Her face was pale, like all the blood had drained from it. She stared down at me with wide eyes and a high-pitched whimper escaped through her white lips.

"Leah?"

Both of her hands shook violently as she reached for my face.

"Are you alright?" She whispered as her voice cracked, "Your nose is bleeding."

I wiped my nose with my fingers, there was a tiny smear of blood on them and I sniffed experimentally.

"It's alright, Leah," I comforted her.

I don't know why she was making a big deal out of it. It wasn't like blood was shooting out of my nose or anything. I could tell she wasn't convinced because she was wringing her hands nervously. Why was she all the sudden freaking out on me?

"I'm a big girl, Leah," I locked her eyes with mine as I assured her, "I can handle..."

_What the hell?_

When I first met Leah, I swear that her eyes were a beautiful stormy grey color. But as I looked into her eyes now they were _pitch black_. Not like a black night sky. No. The night sky was filled with distant solar systems, unexplored planets, and empty space. Her eyes were like black holes pulling in anything that came too close, even light that was passing by.

It made my skin crawl.

My instincts told me to run, but my higher consciousness would never let that slide.

I was Alexis _motherfucking_ Cane.

"Leah?" I questioned as I took a closer step.

It made more sense now. I knew I was no longer talking to Leah right now, perhaps she had a split personality disorder. Her black eyes darted around my face taking in my features. All I knew was that Leah was no longer the strong, confident woman. Instead, the way she was holding herself reminded me of a nervous eleven year old girl I had seen in the mall who had just been screamed at by her father for spilling her soda.

She turned her head away and cast her eyes toward the ground. She looked momentarily surprised when she noticed the sequined shirt she was wearing. I grabbed her face between my hands and she snapped her head up with a surprised look on her face.

"Leah!" I shouted at her.

She her pitch black eyes looked confused for a second. She blinked and just like that her eyes were their usual stormy grey. Her expression flashed panic for a split second before she forcefully pushed me off her. I stumbled back but, thankfully, didn't fall.

"What were you doing?" She asked angrily.

"I…" How do I explain this? "You, ummm, were freaking out on me."

"Huh?"

"Well my nose was bleeding and—"

She cut my off when she grabbed my chin with her right hand, examining my nose.

"How did it start bleeding?" She asked as she let go of my face.

"I ran into you," I explained, "It was an accident."

She looked at me like I was explaining to her how I was abducted by little green men who took me out square dancing in zero gravity.

In other words… disbelieving.

"Let's find some food." She barked, abruptly brushing passed me, "I'm fucking starving."

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><p>Hey guys. Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think.<p>

Also, take note that I probably won't be updating until after the 20th.


	15. Chapter 14: Unstoppable Force

Short update.

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><p><strong>Chapter 14: Unstoppable Force Paradox<strong>

_What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?_

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><p><strong>Jacob's POV<strong>

I could only guess what my wolf was waiting for as the sun got lower in the sky. My long, wolf tongue continued to brush over the grey fur on top of Paul's head—who looked like he wanted to tear me a cornucopia of new orifices. His teeth were bared, but he remained paralyzed on the forest floor. Jared continued to pace back and forth while occasionally letting a low, keening noise escape his throat. It seemed like hours passed before Sam decided to show up, I mean, it's not like any of us got any younger… waiting there for hours.

I felt a huge wave of relief once his midnight black wolf had shown up, I hoped he could pull me back up from this trap inside my body. Sam barreled through the thick underbrush before stopping next to Jared. I watched Sam's black wolf snuff Jared's muzzle briefly before turning to face me. I'm sure they were talking to each other, but I couldn't hear any of them.

I felt my lips pull over my teeth, baring them to Sam's midnight wolf. A gravelly, rabid snarl startled me, even though it came from my throat. I wasn't the only one who was surprised, Sam's wolf's eyes widened while taking a hesitating step back. Panic overtook me as my muscles coiled to spring for an attack. I could taste the blood in my mouth as my teeth sunk into Sam's unsuspecting shoulder. There was a great deal of violent snarling and chaos as Sam fought back against my attacks, but I could tell that I had the upper hand after I had taken Sam by surprise. I was able to get a good look at Sam as I circled him. Sure, I had my fair share of bite marks, but to my horror, Sam's coat was matted with blood. I had injured his hind leg badly…

_What if I killed him?_

I spotted a naked-human Jared in my peripheral, finally understanding why he hadn't intervened on my fight with Sam. From what I could see, Jared appeared to have lost a couple of his marbles. He was fisting his short hair while rocking back and forth like a child trying to find comfort from the motion. I couldn't see what Paul was doing, but I had a feeling that he was still paralyzed to the ground behind me.

_Stop_! I screamed, uselessly as my wolf lunged for Sam Uley's throat. My level of panic reached an all time high as I felt Sam's body go limp beneath my jaws. I felt my heart skip a beat when Sam phased back to his human form beneath me, causing my wolf to leap away. He choked and sputtered on his own blood while turning himself over so he lay prone in the dirt. He looked worse than Paul did when we picked him up from the Industrial district. Sam's entire body was covered in blood, and the mud was especially concentrated around his hands and feet.

I felt my own bones shift and warp into a more familiar form.

"Get him up." My voice demanded. Even I shivered from the alpha-tone behind it.

Jared and Paul, in their human forms, picked Sam off the ground who was coughing and wheezing violently. I was relieved to see Sam's throat already healing rapidly thanks to his shifter abilities. My relief was only momentary…

Both Jared and Paul held emotionless masks as they held Sam up, who would have otherwise folded to the ground. My stomach dropped as I realized that the two unharmed shifters stared back at me with black eyes. Each iris was deep, endless pits of blackness. Something told me they were no longer acting on their own free will.

"Get him home to his mate," I alpha ordered again, "Then bring the rest back to me."

Paul and Jared dragged Sam away without hesitation. Like marionettes, the strings from the alpha order pulled them along towards Emily's. It made my stomach churn, the nausea became overwhelming.

I was taken aback when my stomach unloaded its meager contents, the acid that burned at my throat was momentary, but the emotional pain was all too consuming. The bitter irony was that what caused me to gain control of it all was Emily. I stared at the half-digested muffin mess that I had eaten this morning for breakfast. She had baked them for Billy, but I had snagged one before leaving for the Cullen's this morning.

I had control of my body for almost ten seconds. I could feel the connection between myself and my six brothers and sister. They literally felt like strings connecting them to me. Six of the strings were taunt and unmoving. There was one string—like a fly caught in a spider's web which was fighting against the sticky trap it was tangled in—that was calling me towards the victim. She was fighting against it which resulting in the string snapping against the pressure. I could feel my brothers' confusion and panic at the sudden loss.

_You idiot! _

My wolf snarled, he was pissed at me for letting her go. He kicked me back into the backseat again and I was shut off from his emotions as well as the others.

_What the fuck?_

Leah had been able to break free. I took comfort in this fact as Embry, Seth, and Quil's wolves came into the clearing. The three wolves had deep black eyes instead of their normal golden color. I sniffed at each of them and various yips and whines came from their throats. The four of us took off, I was in the lead and Embry was on my flank, taking the position as my Beta.

We began to patrol the forests of La Push and Forks, but we didn't stop there. We had pushed passed the borders of our usual patrols. Jared joined us a couple hours later, long after the sun had gone down.

In the back of my mind, I wondered where Paul had gone.

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><p><strong>Lexi's POV<strong>

I watched Leah carefully as she took various things from Anson's gargantuan refrigerator and set them on the island countertop. My mouth watered as I chewed a moist piece of French bread that she had cut for me. I had offered to help her, but she demanded that I sit and eat. I sat on a barstool facing the black granite countertop as Leah washed a bowl of mixed berries in the sink. Like everything in this house, the kitchen being no different, looked like it had been taken from a model home or a magazine. The appliances were top-of-the-line and everything looked bright and squeaky clean.

Leah shoved a handful of the berries in her mouth greedily while she prepared something else. To say I was worried about her would have been a major understatement. It was less than ten minutes ago that she had that weird freak-out session by the pool. Then, not even a minute passed by before she nearly fell to her knees, clutching her heart…

…And now she sported a bright-blue color in each iris.

The color was absolutely breathtaking, but it made my insides crawl every time I looked her in the eye. It wasn't normal for a human's eyes to change color so dramatically on the dime like that. Yet it seemed like the color of her eyes were constantly changing like a mood ring. Just because we weren't talking about it doesn't mean I was going to let it go. Just like I wasn't going to forget how Paul was able to heal from a bullet to the chest in less than four days.

Something was different about Leah and Paul…

… and to hell if I wasn't going to find out what it was.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I smelt eggs cooking over the stovetop. Leah flipped some sort of omelet mixture in the fry-pan.

_Damn, that smelled good_.

My mouth was watering like Niagara Falls, so I snagged some berries from the bowl on the counter and popped them in my mouth. Leah pulled the pan off the burner and quickly dumped a copious amount of egg mixture on my plate, dropping some of it on the counter in her haste. She used a random spatula to shovel the remaining mixture from the pan into her mouth.

"Hey, where's the fire?" I asked her, incredulously, as she struggled to swallow it all.

"Time to go." A male voice behind me made me jump in my seat.

Leah nodded, grabbing my half eaten piece of French bread, "I'll be back in the morning." She told me, following the guard out of the kitchen.

I was left to eat the delicious omelet by myself.

* * *

><p>I wandered through the mazes of dark corridors of Anson's mansion—mentally drawing out a map in my head. The bright white light from the moon gleamed through the various windows brightening the path enough that I wouldn't have to turn the lights on. So far, I've gotten lost twice, but each time has been… interesting. It seemed like Anson had everything from a workout room to the pool room. There were various bedrooms and offices that I had passed by, two kitchens, and several bathrooms.<p>

Right now, I stared out from a balcony on the second floor down at a perfectly manicured lawn behind the mansion. The backyard was not flat, so I could see the different terraced levels. There was a large neighborhood surrounding the mansion, but there were dozens of flourishing trees lining the property acting as a wall of privacy. My heart squeezed and twisted when I saw a basketball court in the far corner of the yard. For nearly six years of my life, Frankie and I would play basketball with the guys in the neighborhood at least once a week.

A cold wind-chill caused goose-bumps to arise on my arms and legs, my hair flipped around my face in the gust. I was still wearing the dirty, white cotton dress Leah gave me, which was fine, except it was cold. There were all of Leah's skimpy, club clothes still littered around the floor of the pool-house, but those weren't my style. Someone would have to sedate me and put me in the clothes themselves if they wanted me to wear those useless pieces of cloth.

I was about to turn to go back inside when I saw a dark figure darting through the trees along the perimeter. I could tell it was a man, but by the way he was moving, I'm sure he was trying to not be seen by the guards. He dashed into the opening, the moonlight illuminated his figure, allowing me to recognize the copper skin, khaki shorts, and cropped dark hair.

Paul.

One second I could see him dart beneath the balcony; the next he was hanging onto the banister with a crazed look in his eyes. My stomach rolled when my eyes met the deepest-of-black eyes Paul was sporting, just like Leah's had been by the pool-house.

Paul motioned for me urgently as he held his muscled arm out.

I didn't hesitate because I trusted Paul. Once my cold hand was enveloped in the warmth of his I found myself on the other side of the banister. I bit back a scream as he jumped onto the moist grass below. He carried me like a child as he flew across the lawn at an inhuman pace. As I peaked over Paul's huge shoulder, I could see more than ten guards chasing after us in the distance. There was an ear-splitting bang of a single gun being discharged, Paul cried out, stumbling.

Even though he was favoring his leg, Paul continued to run at an incredible pace, setting an even larger gap between us and the group of guards. I was suddenly being lifted over the cold stone wall lining the property.

"Run!" Paul ordered looking up at me.

"No!" I shouted, "I'm not leaving you."

I reached down for him while I balanced myself on the top of the wall. He accepted my help, but another shot rang out and Paul hissed. I could see a trickle of blood run down from the new wound on his side. I was able to help Paul get over the wall and we both clumsily fell onto the other side of the wall. My ribs ached because of the impact, but I tried my best to ignore it as I helped Paul to his feet. We were in a neighbor's yard and we needed to get moving. Paul grunted as he pulled me along despite his injuries.

The fear pushed me faster as I gasped for air. As we sprinted along a path through a sea of rosebushes, I quickly glanced over my shoulder to see no one behind us. We had to scale another fence, but this one was wrought iron, so Paul just tossed me over the fence. My landing was more graceful this time, and Paul was beside me before I could get to my feet. We took off again, ignoring the annoying yips from a tiny dog in this yard. I was grateful that the dog was no bigger than a cat. We went through a gate in the fence that went out into a driveway. I was relieved to see a road in front of us, but my relief was short-lived.

A black SUV raced down the street, barreling towards our direction. We could hear tires screeching in the neighboring streets and engines revving.

We ran in the opposite direction, but another black vehicle pulled onto the suburban street and stopped purposefully at that end of the street. The driver got out, it was a guard. I hesitated when I saw him, but Paul tugged me along. He barreled like an NFL defensive linebacker into the guard, who didn't even stand a chance.

Paul easily threw the man, who flailed like a ragdoll into the thankfully empty intersection.

We both scrambled into the black, sleek car and Paul peeled out of the street with the black SUV on our tail. The car's engine was snarling like an angry animal as Paul floored it. I gasped for breath to get my heart rate down after our long sprint. We flew passed a designated stop sign, my head snapped toward my passenger side window only to be blinded by a set of headlights.

I didn't even have time to scream as my head whipped from the impact. The last thing I heard was the earsplitting screech of metal being warped before my head collided with something hard.

And I blacked out.

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><p>Sorry it was so short... and for leaving you hanging...<p> 


	16. Chapter 15: Stability Paradox

Hey guys. Short update. Tell me what you think.

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: S<strong>tability–instability Paradox<strong>**

An entire week passed where my wolf remained in control of my body. For the first 48 hours, I couldn't go to sleep now, even if the wolf had. He had curled up in a thicket 10 miles South of Port Angeles, but my mind continues to race a mile a minute. It wasn't until well into the third day that I became so exhausted that I fell asleep while he ran through the forest. I woke up hours later, not knowing where I was or what had happened. Which, I had to say, was the most disorienting and bat-shit crazy experience I've ever had. Not being in control of your body for days on end was nerve wracking. I guess, however, there was a bright side to all this. The pack had taken down six red-eyed cold ones, but only because our patrol area had expanded to ten times its normal size. If I had to guess, we now patrolled from Port Angeles to Aberdeen.

For the first three days, Seth, Embry, and I were constantly running around the green forest. Paul, Jared, and Quil have a rotation system where they would patrol with the pack for two days and on the third day they would be gone. I assume to be with their imprints. So, no matter what, there were always five wolves out in our territory. Four of us ran, and the fifth would have time to sleep. I found myself falling asleep randomly for an hour or two at a time. I was never able to sleep for long because I was so on-edge, but it wasn't just that…

I would have the most vivid dreams, or what I had thought were dreams at first. I realized after the second time it happened that they were _memories_. Not _my_ memories, but memories that belonged to my spirit wolf. The majority of the dreams—or memories, I mean—were nauseating and gruesome. The dreams were filled with faces of people that had been killed and drained by the cold ones. Some of the things he had seen… I just wish that I could wipe from my mind, but I continued to see those images over and over again. I tried my best not to think about it.

It made my anger towards the cold ones grow exponentially. I had this overwhelming urge to sink my canines into their stone-cold bodies. I wanted to wipe their existence from the planet.

My hatred towards them grew. I had never felt an emotion so strongly before. It was almost like I could feel the anger and frustration from my wolf spirit combine with my own, human, emotions.

Sometimes when I would feel like it was all too much, I would see random images of a woman. I could tell she lived in the past because sometimes she would be dressed in traditional clothing. Also, she lived in an old-style wooden cabin. I assumed she was an imprint, I would only see a flash of her smiling face before I woke up with the most horrible pain in my chest followed by the imprint tug. Then, my mind would be consumed with Lexi, wondering where she was or what she was doing. I could only hope she was alright…

And that I would see her again.

Within the span of two days time, Brady and Collin had both phased. Brady first, then Collin. Now, we had six wolves constantly running while one slept and either Paul, Jared, or Quil was gone doing who knows what. Like a real wolf pack, we marked our territory, hunted together, and ate our meat fresh and raw.

We just caught the scent of bleach and sickening sweetness, I felt my muscles coil and stretch as I ran the fresh trail. I must have called my brothers because, Jared was suddenly sprinting by my side. The rest soon followed him.

It didn't take long for us to catch up with the piece of filth. I wanted to tear it apart. I wanted to feel his cold body between my jaws.

The male leech looked back at us with fear in his red eyes. His skin sparkled unnaturally in the sunlight that leaked through the needles on the trees.

Both my wolf and I looked forward to ripping apart this evil creature. I swiped at him with my enormous paw, causing him to fall face first into the ground. I wanted to laugh in his face before I ripped him apart…

…Which is when I realized I currently stood before him on my own two feet.

My pack had created a circle around us, trapping him inside.

And _I_ laughed.

_Me_.

I had control over my body… and I was going to tear this leech apart.

And I did.

With my bare hands, I ripped off his disgusting head and while the body twitched violently on the ground. Embry's wolf lunged in to take care of the leeches flailing limbs, ripping them off like legs on an insect.

The rest phased back to human and Seth walked up to me, "Jake is that you, man?"

Before I answered him, my eyes darted over to Jared and Paul, who were pilling various dead brambles and branches for the fire.

"Yeah, Seth." I assured him as I clasped his shoulder with my large hand. To my surprise, I towered over him, having to strain my neck to look down at him.

"Jeez, Jake, you're huge!" he exclaimed.

I saw Quil kneeling down next to Brady and Collin, who looked beyond petrified. Quil was whispering to them silently as I walked toward them. Both of the younger wolves cast their eyes downward and bared their necks as I stood before them.

"Jake, you've gotta let them rest. They're only just getting used to phasing." Quil suggested in a harsh tone as he scowled up at me. He obviously didn't agree with the way things were being run now.

I admit that four days ago I would have completely agreed with him, but my wolf felt like I should stay close as possible to them for the next couple weeks. The young wolves were growing quickly into their shifter bodies, making them liabilities. They needed to gain control of their emotions before we just let them back around the humans.

The wolf wanted me to rip Quil a new one for speaking to us that way, but I have known Quil my whole life, and wasn't about to do that to my friend.

"What do you think, Embry?" I spoke lowly as I eyed the two young boys curled up on the ground.

"Sorry, Jake, but I agree with Quil." He said as he tossed the leeches arm into the large flames.

"Alright," I nodded, Quil sighed in relief, "Embry, you're in charge of Brady and Collin for the next two days. Let them rest, but **don't bring them** **within 10 miles of La Push**."

Embry nodded in confirmation.

"Quil, go run the perimeter, make sure this leech didn't have a mate." Quil looked perturbed, still, so I tacked on, "Then go home if you don't find any trails."

Quil phased and took off running.

"Seth. I'm sorry, but you're going to school tomorrow, you've missed an entire week."

"No prob', boss." Seth saluted with a smirk.

I couldn't help but shake my head and smile, but it was time for seriousness.

"Jared, come with me." I ordered as I phased.

We started running back to La Push in wolf form.

'Where are we going?' Jared asked in a tired voice.

'I'm going to Emily's to check on Sam.' I stated, before I asked warily, 'How is he?'

'I'll be honest, he could be better.' Then Jared showed me images of a panicky and worn-out Emily taking care of Sam's beat-up form.

'Shit.' I cursed, I never would have fought Sam that hard. 'What the fuck, man?' I directed towards my wolf, who wasn't feeling bad about his attack on the previous alpha.

It took us eight minutes of running at a comfortable speed to get back to La Push.

I phased next to Jared outside my dad's little red house.

"Jared, go get some food and spend an hour or so with Kim. I'll call you when I'm ready to head back."

He nodded happily before he took off towards her house.

I quickly grabbed some dirty shorts, I hadn't showered in a _long time_. So, no matter what, the shorts were less muddy and sweaty than me. I full on sprinted to Sam and Emily's. I didn't bother knocking, because I knew she would never let me in if I did that. Indeed…

"Jacob Black, get out of this house!" She shrieked. I could smell the salty tears in the air that currently were building up tracks down her face.

I ignored her request and bolted up the stairs towards their bedroom, using Sam's scent to guide me towards him. I came upon their room, not hesitating before bursting into the room.

Sam was in the process of sitting up on the bed, his glared was directed towards me. He was a wolf still, and knew I was coming before I was at the front door.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Emily asked Sam in a quiet voice, "Please get back in bed."

I noted the various wounds that I had created had now turned into fresh, pink scars—which were scattered throughout his body, but were concentrated on his shoulders and his neck. The bruises I had caused were a funny green-yellow color, meaning that they were almost healed.

I had landed on my knees at some point after barging in, "Sam." My voice cracked, but I didn't care. I had done this to him, and he probably hates me. I cleared my throat to try again, "Sam, I… I…" I couldn't get out what I wanted, "sorry" wasn't going to cut it.

"Before you say anything Jake," Sam spat out before standing up, favoring his left leg and holding his right arm gingerly. I tried to swallow back the lump in my throat, but it wouldn't budge. Sam spoke sternly, "I want to say something."

I breathed deeply to try and brace myself for what he was going to hit me with.

"Thank you." Sam spoke deeply as he stared me in the eyes.

At first I thought he was thanking me for letting him speak, I waited for him to open his mouth, but he limped towards me before placing his hand on my shoulder, "Thank you." He said again, emphasizing his gratitude.

"What?" I croaked out just as a fat tear spilled down my face.

"I haven't phased in a week, Jake." Sam spoke down to me as I was still processing everything sitting on my knees, "That is the longest I've ever gone without phasing… I want to retire, Jake, I have for a while now."

I didn't know what to say.

"Sam?" Emily whispered. I could tell by her voice that she was just as surprised as I was.

"You taking over the pack like that gave me the fastest ticket out of that Hell." Sam continued with a smirk, "Yeah, I would have rather _not_ have had a beat down like that, but now…" He reached out to Emily, who quickly rushed over to be by his side, "…I can take care of the things that I've always wanted." Emily smiled up at him, "My wolf and I want to have pups with Emily," who sobbed in relief and happiness when Sam spoke, "I want to be there for them. I don't want to be gone all the time like _my_ dad was."

He smiled down at Emily in attempt to comfort her, "Thanks to you, I can get a full time job to support Emily, instead of the other way around."

"Good luck, pup." Sam slapped me on the back teasingly.

"I don't know what to say, Sam." I shook my head as I stood back up on my feet, "I woulda thought you'd hated me."

"Of course I did at first, Jake, but as time passed I realized that this was an express ticket out of there." Sam smiled, "I'm so happy to be free, Jake. Don't take it away from me."

"I won't."

He surprised me again when he pulled me in for a hug while Emily cried happily behind him.

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><p>Lexi's POV<p>

An overall shitty week passed by where I did not see or hear from anyone from La Push. A part of me wondered whether or not they had abandoned me after the incident with Paul. I did not know what had happened to him, but I feared the worst. None of Anson's guards would talk to me about it...which intensified all my worries and doubts. I had overheard the guards talking about Paul the next day, but I had to strain to hear them, and was almost sure I had heard wrong.

They said that Paul had "fucked up the hot chick's head real bad" before dislocating Michael's arm. Michael was Anson's head of security and—according to one of the guards that had spoken to me directly—he had conveniently "taken a vacation".

On top of it all, _where the hell was Jake? _He had promised Anson that he would work for him, but I hadn't seen him since that night they had taken me away from my kidnappers. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since I didn't know Jake well at all. I would be naïve to put so much trust in him, yet I did fall for it; hook, line, and sinker. I had gotten my hopes up about him, but in reality, he was no different than Sam.

The first evening after the car accident, Anson suggested that I changed into some of Leah's clothing. Sadly, I had gotten some blood on her white cotton dress, and to top it off, I wasn't sure if it was my blood or Paul's. When I asked Anson where Leah was, he replied:

"_Not here."_

Well no _fucking_ duh! Thanks, Anson. Insert sarcasm here.

Ever since my attempted escape, I would ride in the SUV with Anson to his club, where I would sit in the giant room upstairs for the rest of the night and into the morning. That was what I was currently doing—sitting bored as fuck on the maroon, pleather couch in the center of the room. Anson had gone off to go to "a meeting", while I was left here to be babysat by a dozen armed guards.

So here I was, fidgeting with the black cloth of one of Leah's new dresses. I made sure that I only wore the clothing that Leah wasn't particularly interested in. I remember that the piece of clothing that I currently wore was in the pile she had made while sporting a disgusted look on her face… and I had to agree. It was something I would never normally wear, but I wasn't about to overstep my bounds. Especially if they belonged to Leah, who I, first off, didn't know that well…

…and second, occasionally scared the shit out of me.

The deep bass resonated through the walls and the floor after a new song begun playing in the club downstairs. I huffed loudly as I stood up. I was sick and tired of sitting on this fucking couch each night! I made my way towards the exit, wondering if anyone would stop me.

"Where are you going, girl?" A random guard shouted at me.

"To the fucking bathroom!" I screamed back angrily before heading down the stairs.

But I wasn't going to the bathroom, yet no one stopped me. It was a Thursday night and the club was packed with sweaty people. I walked over to the bar, where I sat down on one of the stools lining it. My eyes scanned the room filled with people moving to the pounding music. It seemed like most people were having a good time, but that was superficial. It was relatively early and desperateness clung to the air.

"Hey, you here by yourself?" a male voice asked next to me.

My eyes glanced over to see if he was talking to _me_ or not, and indeed, he was staring intensely at me in a creepy sort of way. To top it off, I could tell that he was a lot older than I by at least five years.

"Not interested." I stated calmly. I wasn't about to dance around the issue, even though I sounded like a bitch.

"Oh, come on." The man teased, "At least let me buy you a drink."

"Under-age." I enunciated.

His face fell, "What?"

I know he heard me. So I ignored him, which proved to be the right move because he left in less than a minute. Hopefully no one bothered me again tonight.

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><p>Calm before the storm.<p> 


	17. Chapter 16: Bonini's Paradox

**Hey y'yall. Thanks for waiting. I'm back... for now. I was out of the country for a month. **

**Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16:Bonini's Paradox<strong>

I stood in wolf form upon a rocky ledge near Mount Olympus. I whimpered longingly as I stared out towards the East—towards Seattle. My imprint was currently on her own with that son of a bitch Anson. Paul had come back a week ago empty-handed and injured after my wolf had ordered him to retrieve Lexi. To top it off, he had been gone for two days. It took him half a day just to get there, because you had to drive. It's Seattle, we couldn't just go run there as wolves. Then they had held him captive for a day before he forced his way out of there. I had given him four days off patrol to recover from his injuries, which had been more than enough time for Paul to heal, but I figured that he deserved a break with Rachael after the incident.

I've also been extremely worried about Leah. She had broken free from the pack and I am wondering whether or not she abandoned us. I haven't heard a peep from her, which is frustrating because I have no tabs on Lexi.

On top of that, the tensions between Quil and I made me decide to isolate Quil from the pack. I sent him to the tip of the Peninsula to patrol everything North of Ozette Lake and the road that divides us from Neah Bay. Quil is much happier this way because he is closer to Claire and her family. He is ignoring me right now as he runs his patrols up there. He had his first solo kill up there yesterday. We were all extremely worried because it would have taken Jared ten minutes of sprinting just to get to him, but Quil had handled it spectacularly. The leech appeared to have swum down from Vancouver and Quil had caught her scent on the beach and followed it towards Port Angeles. He shredded her to pieces before she got within 5 miles from the city limits.

Embry was currently in human form watching over Brady and Collin, who were also currently human. It would be really nice right now if I had a couple more noses to cover the vast territory we were struggling to maintain. I would be relieved when Brady and Collin were ready to patrol on their own, but as of now they needed more experience on taking down leeches before I let them loose.

School got out two hours ago, so Seth was way down South, patrolling near Aberdeen, between the 109 and the 101. Seth fit down their perfectly because his sandy coat made him more difficult to see by any humans. Jared was covering a long strip off the 101 from Sequim to Lake Cushman. Today was Paul's day off, tomorrow—which was Friday—was Jared's day off.

I lifted my head towards the sky and howled out longingly. I was far enough away from Paul to know that he could not hear me. 30 miles was far enough, right? I didn't want to pull him away from his day off for no reason.

'_Jared, go take over for Embry. You need a break from running_.' I suggested. It wasn't an order, Jared had the right to refuse, but who would refuse that offer. Jared has been running for ten hours, during which he ate two rabbits, but that's not enough for a wolf. He needed a home cooked meal.

'_Couldn't you use a home cooked meal, Jake?'_ Jared asked as he ran back towards home. He showed me a mental image of me consuming an entire deer 4 hours ago.

'_I already ate._' I grumbled. Raw deer tasted good when you are a hungry wolf. Hell, a lot of things taste good when you are that hungry.

'_Jake, you haven't gone home in over a week.'_ Seth whimpered from Aberdeen.

'_I can't go home_. _Plus, if I had any extra time to myself I would go to Seattle_.'

'_This weekend, Seth should take over looking after the twins_,' Jared suggested. We called Brady and Collin "the twins" even though they weren't brothers. '_Me, Paul, and Embry will look after the territory. That way Seth can do his homework and you can go to Seattle_.'

'_Are you kidding? Three wolves covering 2,000 square miles? Four barely can cover that effectively.' _I argued.

'_You can't stay so far away from your imprint, Jake. I know that being alpha lessens the pull, but that doesn't get rid of the pains.' _ Jared replied.

'_Plus, you think about her almost 24/7.'_ Quil speaks to me for the first time today,_ 'Which gets old because you hardly know anything about her.'_

He had a joking edge to his tone, but I know that Quil still cares at least, otherwise he wouldn't have said anything.

'_Of course I still care about you, dude. Count me in, I'll patrol to the 101, 113 and 110. And not just for that weekend, but the rest of the time as well.'_ Quil flashed me a wolfish smile. He promised to pretty much double his patrol area.

'_Hell yeah, I see Seth down there patrolling way more than I am, and it's cramping my style that the Pup's doing more than me.'_ Quil complained.

'_I'm not a pup!_' Seth barked.

All four of us laughed.

I guess it was settled. I would go to Seattle this weekend.

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><p>It was Friday night and I currently was sitting at the bar in a tight purple dress that I had gotten from Leah's clothing reject pile. The black stilettos hung off my toes because Leah's feet were apparently much larger than mine. Ever since I met her, I've been worried about her and since her abrupt absence had me worried. So, I have been listening into the guards' conversations as I aimlessly roamed the house. Using my ninja skills, I learned quite a bit of information. It took me almost a week of sneaking around the guards to find out that Paul had escaped the morning following the failed "break-out attempt". He was probably back in Rachael's arms, which is where he belonged. He had no business risking his life to save me—a girl he barely knew.<p>

Leah was another matter.

Some man named Nick—otherwise known as "the Giant"—was currently interrogating her. I don't know why she would need to be interrogated, especially since Paul had hurt her. I hope that he felt bad about that, but I could only hope that she was doing okay and that I would see her soon.

For the past week, Anson had me staying at a different house than I had the first couple days. This place wasn't a mansion, but it was beyond anything I would be able to afford, nonetheless. It was right along the water outside the city. Of course, you had to take a ferry to get there and so I assumed that it was an island. Which was completely crazy to me, the fact that you had to ride a boat to get to work every morning. The ferry tickets probably weren't cheap either. Which made me wonder, yet again, what exactly Anson was doing to get so much dough.

Also, me staying on the island was probably more advantageous to Anson. Since you had to take a boat there, any future escape attempts seemed highly unlikely. It wasn't like I could just wander off, either. I didn't have any money for the ferry. I have thought about trying to escape from this stupid nightclub too, but there were guards at each exit. I know for a fact that they've been instructed that I couldn't leave without Anson present.

I sipped on my ice-water thoughtfully, remembering the _conversation_ I just had with Anson. An entire week past since I heard from the La Push crew. It was pretty obvious that I was on my own, which I tried to explain to Anson…

"_I need to start working off all that money I owe you."_ _I growled up at the chubby man._

"_Kid, you don't owe me anything." Anson chuckled wholeheartedly while he patted the top of my head. _

_I growled annoyed that he was degrading me so, "What about all that money you lost after those 'investors' pulled out?"_

"_None of that was your fault, kid." Anson shook his head as he looked back at some financial newspaper, "So just forget about it."_

"_What about all the food I've been eating? Or the clothes that I am wearing? Or the fact that I've been staying at your house for the past week?"_

"_Those are Leah's clothes. I'm sure she doesn't mind you wearing them." Anson brushed me off casually, while continuing to read the paper. _

"_Okay," I huffed, "How about the clothes and the house?"_

"_What do you want me to say, kid?" he asked, finally setting down his paper to turn his attention towards me. "It's not like you could work as a bodyguard or a bartender, you have no skills that I know of, so what do you suggest? I could sell you, true, but I like you too much to do that to you."_

_I was slightly taken aback by this. He insulted me and complimented me in one sentence. _

"_Well, I'm sick and tired of sitting and watching those boats pass by every day." I huffed, feeling worthless and hopeless. _

_Anson watched me sulk with a strange look on his face. _

"_Fine." Anson threw his arms up dramatically, "You really think that Jake's not coming back, I'll enroll you in some online classes. Obviously you'll have to pay me back for tuition and books, but it'll give you something to do. I'd be willing to pay for some G.E. courses and you could take some business management courses or accounting or some shit like that. So if Jake doesn't return by the time you're done… _THEN_ you can start working for me after you get your education." _

_To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I have no idea why Anson was extending a helping hand to me, but I wasn't going to say no to his offer. _

"_You'd do that for me?"_ _I asked, surprised._

"_Kid, let's this straight," Anson looked me straight in the eye, "I don't do shit for anyone but myself. Paying for your education is like an investment if you promise to work for me in the future. So…" he clapped his hands together, "…first lesson in life, kid…" he pointed his index finger out enunciating every word, "…You help the right people out from time to time, they'll feel morally obligated to be loyal to you…" He leaned back in his chair, more relaxed, "…Being in this business, loyalty is worth more than a hundred-thousand kilos of heroin. Because if you have one employee blab about it…" He slammed his hand down on the table before brushing his hand away, "… it's done."_

I don't know why he used heroin as an example in a life lesson, I certainly hoped that Anson didn't smuggle drugs or anything. But, for the first time in a long time, I was actually looking _forward_ to the future.

* * *

><p>My pack had surprised me by arranging things earlier than expected, so I was walked towards Anson's club wearing my nicest clothing. Actually, scratch that. I was wearing Sam's black dress-slacks that he had bought to wear on one of his dates for Emily. When Jared told me Friday afternoon that Sam wanted to talk to me, I was hesitant on what was in store. But Sam was very gracious and explained that just because he had retired from the pack didn't mean that he wanted to be excluded from it. I was wearing Quil's button-up shirt and Embry's black dress shoes. Who knew that Embry's feet were so large? We wore the same size, but Embry was now an inch or two shorter than me now he was my second.<p>

I walked towards the entrance, wondering what the bouncer was going to do about me. It was Friday night, so there was no way that I was going to stand in the long ass line. As I walked towards him he nodded at me in recognition before waving me in. I nodded back at him as I passed by. The music was thumping and the club was packed with sweaty bodies, but I was going to have no trouble finding Lexi. The imprint pull was guiding me towards the bar. I wonder what she was doing there?

I spotted her sitting down at the bar. Her index finger was dancing around the edge of her glass, which I assumed was ice-water. I could only see her back, but _damn…_ She was beautiful. Her skin looked healthy and rich with life. Even though she still was on the skinny side, she looked like she had gained some weight since I last saw her a week ago.

She took my breath away, but that didn't stop me from pushing through the crowd.

She turned around, almost as if sensing my presence. Those deep brown eyes connected with mine and her full lips parted as she gasped in surprise. Her body turned as I got closer so that she could face me completely.

"Jake, I—"

I stopped her midsentence when my hand came up and brushed her cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner." I spoke genuinely before touching her forehead to mine.

We stayed like this for several minutes, but I wished for it to be an eternity.

"Jake, it's good to see you." Anson's voice shouted from behind me over the music.

I pulled away from Lexi, but I made sure to reach for her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. I stood in front of her protectively, eyeing the two guards flanking Anson.

"Anson." I nodded before clenching my jaw.

"You still interested in our deal, I see." Anson smirked.

The pumping bass made it difficult for humans to have a conversation. Being a wolf, I could have heard him just fine if he had whispered it. Anson was yelling over the upbeat-music unnecessarily, but he didn't know that.

"Lexi, here, was convinced that you wouldn't show." He yelled.

I turned to her with a sad look on my face. I was hurt that she didn't have more confidence in me. _What did you expect, asshole, she knows nothing about you!_ My inner voice spat at me.

"I had no doubt that you'd be back." Anson announced with confidence.

"Anson, I hope that this doesn't change anything," Lexi spoke-up confidently to the man, "I'd still like to go through with what we discussed earlier."

_What_? I was confused.

"Sure thing, darling." Anson drawled cockily.

I snarled at him without thinking—Anson called my imprint "darling". I was being overprotective because I was feeling insecure about the whole situation. I hadn't been expecting Lexi to speak to Anson directly, because the last time I saw her he had been waving a gun in her face. She was stronger than I thought obviously. They had been spending a lot more time together in the past week—more than I had expected.

The two guards beside Anson fidgeted anxiously at my outburst, but Anson masked his reaction. His heart rate accelerated slightly, but he didn't let it show.

"Let's head upstairs." Anson jutted his head towards the door that led up to the room that smelled like sweaty balls.

I followed the three men with Lexi's hand still entangled in mine, she didn't let go of it, which was a good sign. But she wasn't acknowledging me either, she looked straight ahead with determination, as if she was in "business mode".

We made it up the stairs to the room, which, thankfully, didn't smell as awful as it did the last time I was here. We made our way to the middle of the room towards the several pieces of furniture located in the center.

"So, Jake," Anson motioned for me to sit on one of the couches.

I sat down on a fuzzy maroon couch and Lexi sat next to me, never releasing my hand. Her presence was comforting to my wolf, but on the other hand, I wished that she was safe in La Push.

"I'm going to come straight out with it," Anson warned as he sat on a sleek, leather couch, "If you try and pull something like Paul did, our deal is done."

"Fine." I agreed.

For some reason, Paul has a very scant memory of anything that happened that night. He only remembers speaking with Leah, who had tied him up for some reason. I wanted to talk to her about that…

"Where is Leah?" I asked as I glanced around as if she was going to pop around from behind a corner. I noticed that Lexi had a pronounced frown on her face, as if she was confused.

Anson scoffed, "Your little minion didn't tell you?"

Paul would be pissed if he ever found out that Anson had called him a "minion".

"Tell me what?" I asked, concerned.

"He really got her good," Anson shook his head with disgust, like he had just had something odorous shoved under his nose.

"What do you mean?" I asked, gripping Lexi's hand tighter for comfort.

"He hit her across the head with a chain, broke her skull."

Lexi gasped as I felt my stomach drop to the floor in dread. My wolf saw red. I had to get away from my imprint, I could hurt her if I didn't get control over myself. I let go of her hand and moved away from the furniture. I tugged the roots of my messy hair, it had been a month since my last hair cut and it was getting a little long. My body was already trembling as I had an overwhelming urge to phase.

I took a couple deep breaths in as I paced several feet away from them.

How did this happen? How?

"Where is she?" I demanded as I continued to struggle to remain human. "I need to see her. Where is she?"

I couldn't look at Anson or Lexi, I might phase.

"Chicago." Anson replied.

That did it. I lost it.

But instead of phasing wolf, he took control of my human body, understanding the significance of the situation.

_Oh, fuck._

"Get her back here, NOW!" _He_ demanded as my body approached him at an inhuman pace. Before I knew it, I had him dangling several feet off the ground.

"Back off!" A guard shouted as he pointed a gun straight at Lexi. I felt my body stiffen as more guards followed his actions.

"Jake," My imprint's soothing voice shot straight to my heart.

Her heart was beating rapidly, like a hummingbird's wings. I could tell how afraid she was at the moment, yet she approached me without hesitation. Then, her small hand made contact with my ribs and a warmth spread through my entire body.

"Set him down." She spoke softly as her touch ghosted over my ribs. My body shivered at the contact and I felt my arm lower gradually until the man stood firmly on his feet, obviously shaken and surprised.

Her hands ran up my chest, pushing gently as if she wanted me to turn towards her and thankfully _he _complied with her unspoken request. My body turned completely towards her and I hummed at the feeling her touch brought to my body. Amazed that something so simple could have so much pull over me and the wolf. She closed part of the gap between us as she reached up for my face, pulling gently down, he complied. My body leaned towards her so she could look deep in my eyes. Her thumbs brushed over my cheekbones and I had no control over the purr that rose from my chest.

"Hey, there." Her lip twitched slightly upward as if fighting back a smile. Her right hand left my cheek, only to have her hand run through my hair.

_My wolf and I melted_.

I would have fallen on my knees if I had any control over my body, but somehow, _he _was able to keep standing on two feet.

"Oh, sorry," she giggled softly, the sound shot straight to my groin. She whispered to herself, "I shouldn't be distracting you." She placed her hand back on my cheek before looking into my eyes with intensity, "I'd really like to speak with Jake, if that's okay?" She whispered.

My wolf and I were stunned by her request.

_How did she know?_

I felt him hand the control back over to me as I fell to my knees in front of her. On my knees, I was just a little bit shorter than her standing. The sight of her smiling down at me took my breath away.

"Hey." She greeted with a sexy smile.

I could only smile back at her like an idiot. Letting go of my face, she reached for my hand, I gave it to her and she pulled on it as if asking for me to get back on my feet. I stood up next to her, unable to look away from her eyes.

She eventually broke eye contact, "Why is she in Chicago?"

I had completely forgotten where I was for the past minute. I felt a moment of embarrassment as I noticed that Anson and about 20 guards were all standing around us, staring, and flabbergasted.

"Uh," Anson cleared his throat, "It was better that she recover there."

"I'm sorry, Anson," She didn't sound sorry, "But, bullshit."

Anson frowned, but didn't say anything.

"You say loyalty is important, but lying doesn't buy you loyalty." She looked at him intensely.

"You're right, dear." Anson cleared his throat again, "She's with my business-partner, Nick."

"Has she healed from her injuries at least?" she asked.

I felt a swell of pride towards my imprint as she handled the situation perfectly.

"Yes, her head has completely healed." He replied, "And she has more fire than ever."

Lexi smirked at this before continuing, "Could we speak with her?"

"That might be difficult," Anson replied as he begun to look nervous, "When I said that Nick was my business-partner, I was leaving out that he is also my boss." Anson looked shamefully at the floor.

"Oh." Lexi paused before suggesting, "Well, could you ask him for an update?"

"Yeah," Anson nodded before making eye contact with one of the guards in our audience. The guard immediately jogged away towards a back room where I assumed he would be making a phone call.

"Thank you." Lexi smiled at him politely.

A brief moment of silence passed through the room before Anson seemed to have reestablished his bearings, "Alright, nothing to see here, get back to work." He barked at his guards.

Who quickly scattered in response to his orders.

* * *

><p>Reviews are appreciated. I like taking your suggestions under consideration. Thank you.<p> 


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